Photo : James Pasby

Medal Index Card

Newcastle Journal Monday 27/05/1918

Newcastle Journal Monday 09/09/1918

William Jackson Haggart the second, youngest son was born in 107, Rochdale House, Westoe Road, South Shields on the 13th March 1883, the son of William Haggart, a pub landlord, and his wife Elizabeth. William ran a pub in King Street in South Shields.

He was educated at the Union Board School then South Shields High School, after which he went to work for the National Provincial Bank of England, possibly initially at its Stokesley branch, and later at Newcastle upon Tyne and then Bedminster branches.

He played rugby for Clifton RFC, and also took part in amateur dramatics. He was boarding at 11 Westbourne Place, Clifton, Bristol. He was a man of considerable histrionic ability, and took an active and keen interest in dramatic work.

William married Ivy Kathleen Chipp, eldest daughter of Henry Chipp of Forest Hall at Benton Parish Church on the 7th November 1917 at 2.00pm. The best man was Lieutenant Cedric Pritchard and both officers had fought in the battle of Neuve Chapelle. After the wedding the couple left for a honeymoon in Scotland.

William Haggart originally enlisted in the 6th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers before WW1 in 1909, he was discharged due to moving from the area to Bristol on the 24th April 1912.

At the beginning of the First World War Haggart joined the army on the 26th October 1914 at Bristol. William was 5 feet 10 and a half inches high. He was gazetted from a Corporal in 'H' Company, the 4th (City of Bristol) Reserve Battalion, to the Gloucestershire Regiment as a 2nd Lieutenant on the 2nd March 1915, and by 1918 was a Lieutenant in the Gloucestershire Regiment.

William suffered from Eczema and from the 30th October 1916 he reported sick, he was unfit for General Service for 6 weeks.

In March 1917, he had an outbreak of Eczema again after being free for seven weeks, he immediately was on leave and proceeded to a Convalescent home in Harrogate.

Between March 10th and the 25th April, William made 34 trips to the No 1 Northern General Hospital at Newcastle-upon-Tyne with a severe ankle strain, this resulted in a query from the War Office questioning the injury, if it was relating to active service, and a refund of the travelling expenses incurred whilst undergoing treatment. The Commandant of the Hospital replied stating that the injury was not due to active service. The Refund was rejected.

On the 2nd May 1917, William was at the Furness Auxiliary Hospital at Harrogate to be examined and to be reporting on his condition of Eczma. He had fully recovered from his eczema and his sprained ankle. After this examination he returned back to his unit then based at Catterick. Finally at the Military Hospital at Catterick he was examined again on the 8th July and was instructed to return to his unit.

In May 1918, Lieutenant William J. Haggart was suffering from gunshot wounds in the left arm and back and was in the 8th Red Cross Hospital at Boulogne. He and his wife were residing at 'Claremont', Forest Hall, Longbenton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

William was killed in action in France on the 31st August 1918. he was attached to the 12th (Service) Battalion, Glocestershire Regiment. He was 35 years old.

His solicitors Stanford and Lambert, of 55 Pilgrim Street, were advised that his estate of £1193 9s 0d went to his widow.

William Jackson Haggart is remembered at Longbenton on L25.02, South Shields on S86.027 and in S86.086 page 6.

Two altar books were dedicated to his memory in the church, L25.11. These were still missing as of 2009, despite exhaustive enquiries.

RBS Remembers ROH
The CWGC entry for Lieutenant Haggart