Name
George Hagga(e)r
1893
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
13/10/1916
23
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
3031
Hertfordshire Regiment
1st Bn. Attd. 118 Trench Mortar Battery.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
LONSDALE CEMETERY, AUTHUILLE
X. D. 8.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, 4 Co' Hertfordshire Reg' Territorials’ Memorial, Hitchin, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour, Hitchin, Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford
Pre War
He was the son of George and Laura Haggar of 12, Chapman's Yard, Queen St. Hitchin. George was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, in 1893, the son of George Haggar (a Plasterer) and Laura Lucy Haggar (nee Taylor) of 12, Chapman's Yard, Queen St. Hitchin, Hertfordshire. Baptised on 11th October 1893, in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.
1901 Census records George aged 7, living with his parents, brothers William 10, John 5, Harry 4, and sister Hilda 6 months, at 12 Chapmans Yard, Queens Street, Hitchin, Herts. His father George (senior) was working as a plasterer.
By 1911 George, now 18, had left school and was working as an Apprentice Carpenter, still living a home with his parents, brother William 21, Harry 14, sisters Hilda 10, Beatrice 9 and Ethel 7, at 12 & 11 Chapmans Yard, Queens Street, Hitchin Herts. The census recorded that his parents had been married for 22 years with 10 children, of whom 4 had died.
Before the war he worked as a carpenter in Baldock.
Officially recorded as born in Hitchin, was resident there and enlisted in Hertford.
Wartime Service
George enlisted into the Herts Territorials. His service number of 3031 mean that he enlisted after 5 September and 4 November 1914. Existing trained Territorials had the option to volunteer to serve abroad and those that did sailed on 4 November 1914, As an untrained recruit George would have received about 6 months of training and, in fact did not land in France until 21 January 1915.
He was killed in action in France on 13 October 1916, but may not have been with the Hertfordshires that day as previously he had been attached to the 118th Trench Mortar Battery. It was reported that he was killed by shell fire. Trench mortars generally moved location frequently to avoid retaliatory fire – very unpopular with the troops left behind. On this occasion either they were too slow to move or perhaps the location had been pre-ranged.
He is buried in Plot 10, Row D, Grave 8 in the Lonsdale Cemetery, Aveluy, France.
Additional Information
After his death £7 6s 0d was authorised to go to his father on 21 December 1916. Later, a war gratuity of £9 was authorised to be paid to him on 28 October 1919.
A pension card records, the next of kin for George and his brother Harry as their mother, Laura Hagger, who was living at 12, Chapman's Yard, Queen St. Hitchin, but does not record the details of any pension issued.
On the Drill Hall memorial his surname is spelt ‘Hagger’
Acknowledgments
Adrian Dunne, David C Baines, Jonty Wild
