8/3217A Sergeant John Currie Hendry, (2/4/1893-15/9/1916). "a skilful footballer"

PARS ABOUT PEOPLE

Sergeant John Currie Hendry, killed in action, was the son of Mr John Hendry, of Mosgiel, and a member of one of the largest and best known families on the Taieri. He was 24 years of age. He was educated at the Mosgiel District High School, where he won a scholarship and passed the junior civil service examination. Some years ago he joined the staff of the Education Department in Wellington, where he passed the senior civil service examination. When the war broke out, Sergeant Hendry went to Samoa as a private, in the 5th (Wellington) half-battalion of the force of occupation. Returning some months later, he re-enlisted, and left again as a sergeant in the 7th reinforcements. While in Egypt, before leaving for France, he was appointed to the machine gun section of the Otago Infantry Battalion. Sergeant Hendry was a skilful footballer, and as a boy he played half-back in the Otago Public Schools representative fifteen, and later was a member of the Wellington Club, which is composed largely of Otago men.  -Observer, 7/10/1916.

John Hendry was killed on the first day of his unit's participation in the Battle of the Somme.  It was a battle of movement and decision making for the supporting machine gunners.  The Official History of the NZMG Corps does not specify in which part of the action John was killed.  Perhaps it was when reserve guns were being brought up over open ground and were caught by a German artillery barrage, causing "heavy casualties."

East Taieri Cemetery.