John William 's Story.
105th Brigade, 35th Division, V11 Corps, 5th Army
The POZIERES MEMORIAL commemorates the losses during the period of crisis in March and April 1918, when the Allied Fifth Army was driven back by overwhelming numbers across the former Somme battlefields, and the months that followed before the Advance to Victory, which began on 8 August 1918. The Memorial commemorates over 14,000 casualties of the United Kingdom and 300 of the South African Forces who have no known grave and who died on the Somme from 21 March, to 7 August 1918.
Son of John, and Dorothy Haig. Brother to Isabella, Florence, Agnes, Sidney, and Grace.
Husband of Mabel Selina, they married in 1916, had 1 son John born February 1918. They made their home at number 10 Lostock Terrace Poynton.
Private John William Haig joined the 3rd Cheshire Yeomanry on the 27th of May 1915. where-upon he commenced a period of training. He embarked from Southampton on the 7th December 1916, landing in Rouen on the 8th where he joined up with the 9th Battalion. The winter of 16/17 was extremely cold, unfortunately, John contacted severe trench foot and was admitted to hospital on the 25th of January. After a short period at the 3rd casualty clearing station, he was invalided home to England aboard H S Formosa where he spent 48 days in a general hospital in Glasgow. John stayed in the UK until the 6th of December 1917 where he again set sail for France joining the 15th Battalion in the field on the 18th. John served in X Company 15th Battalion the Cheshire Regiment until his death in 1918.
Official records stated that he was missing in action on the 28th March 1918. It was not until August 22nd that 2nd Lieutenant Ernest H Bann, Johns officer in charge confirmed that Haig was badly wounded in the chest And left on the field of battle.
The 15th Battalion suffered 3 Officers killed, 52 ORs killed, 15 Officers wounded 385 ORs wounded and missing.
Ernest Bann was a Corporal in the Cheshire regiment gaining a commission in 1917. He lived on London Road Poynton, so it was very possible he and John knew each other before the war. Ernest became a P. O. W. in Baden, Germany and survived the war, dying in 1981 aged 91.
KAISERSCHLACHT
The "Kaiser's Battle" is the name given by the Germans to a planned massive assault on the British positions in Picardy. The intent was to drive a wedge between the British and French armies and capture Amiens. It was believed that this would result in victory at last - and it nearly worked. Frontline positions would be overrun - with thousands killed or taken prisoner. All of the gains of the previous two years were lost within a week. As a consequence of the confusion, the official War Diary records maintained by battalions are poor and the events, for many units, were pieced together after the battle from different sources.
An attack had been expected for some time and preparations had been made. However, the swiftness and ferocity of the initial onslaught was totally unexpected. The Cheshire Battalions were in reserve when the attack started at dawn on the 21st March.
When the attack was launched, the 15th Cheshire’s were miles away, near Ypres. On the night of 22/23 March, they marched 8 miles to the railway, then undertook a 12-hour train journey before marching another 17 miles from Mericourt to the village of Suzanne near Bray on the Somme. They pushed on another three miles to a planned rendezvous where it was hoped the troops could eat and get some sleep before they went into action. They arrived, at 4 am on the 24th, and were met by fast retreating troops saying the German Army was close behind. There was no alternative but to move forward immediately. The Battalion was ordered to counter-attack a recent assault by the Germans on high ground at Clery Ridge south of Marrieres Wood and retake two lines of trenches. This was successful and the position was retaken by late morning after hard fighting. Throughout the afternoon, the Germans launched attack after attack with the Cheshire’s suffering heavy casualties. By late afternoon, "X" and "Z" Companies were practically surrounded and were suffering losses due to enemy snipers but they succeeded in fighting their way out, taking many wounded with them.
From dawn on the 25th the Cheshire’s were heavily shelled and the decision was taken to withdraw, and the Battalion undertook a fighting retreat. On the 26th the Battalion headed for the river Ancre east of Morlancourt where in freezing conditions they found hot food, the first they had had for 3 days. On the morning of the 27th, a massed German attack was launched, this assault was broken up by artillery fire but the Division wavered and had to retire to the relative safety of a sunken road. The 28th was a cold and miserable day that witnessed several attacks along the Division’s front. Later that rain-soaked day the 15th Cheshire’s took over a position within Marrett Wood and along the railway embankment from the village of Buire to the railway station at Maricourt. Fighting continued all day. It is not known when John William was killed but he was reported missing for official purposes on the 28/03/1918.
Cheshire County Memorial Project would like to thank Phil Underwood for compiling this page on John William