Vicarsford Cemetery is located a short distance from the Tay Road Bridge in the parish of Forgan, an attractive area in North-East Fife. The cemetery was established in 1894 to replace the nearby Forgan Kirkyard and serve as the new burial ground for Forgan, Wormit, Newport, and other nearby communities. It is situated on a small hill and features the neo-gothic Leng Memorial Chapel, which resembles the famous Sainte Chapelle in Paris.
The cemetery is the resting place of John Wood Haggart. He succumbed to influenza and pneumonia on February 12th 1919, at Agra House, Newport, aged thirty. Like many tributes on this website, John risked his life in combat for King and Country and survived, only to join the countless millions across the world who fell to the Spanish flu pandemic. His familial headstone is close to the cemetery perimeter. Whilst the names on the stone have faded, his remains clear.
John Wood Haggart was born on November 21, 1888, on King Street, East Newport, to his parents, Thomas and Janet (nee Wood). He was the second son and fourth child in the family. By 1891, the Haggart family had moved to Agra House. After finishing school, John joined his father in the tailoring business. In 1911, twenty-two-year-old John resided with his two sisters and parents in the family home.
As with the vast majority of young men, John either volunteered or was conscripted to serve in the armed forces after the outbreak of World War One. He served in the Sixth Battalion of the Cameron Highlanders and eventually rose to the rank of Acting Sergeant. He was home on “Demobilization Furlough” when he passed away, and Thomas was present at his death. John was unmarried and had no known children.
On July 18th, the National Probate Index confirmed Thomas as the executor of John’s estate.
Sources: Ancestry, British Newspaper Archive, ScotlandsPeople
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