More about John Fleming Hart

John has no known grave but is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial.

BROUGHTY FERRY ABLE SEAMAN KILLED IN ACTION

Mrs Hart, King Street, Broughty Ferry, has received information that her son, Able Seaman John F. Hart, Royal Naval Division, has been killed in action.

Able Seaman Hart was employed as a porter Monifieth Railway Station prior to enlisting in the R.N.D., over two years ago.

Hart, who has been on active service for 21 months, had been with the Royal Naval Division at the Dardanelles, Salonika, Egypt, and on the western front.

Dundee Courier March 3rd 1917

MONIFIETH RAILWAYMAN KILLED IN ACTION.

Another Monifieth railwayman has made the supreme sacrifice for King and Country on the battlefield.  Information reached Monifieth this morning that Able Seaman John F. Hart Royal Naval Division, had been killed in action at the front on Saturday, 17th February.  The sad intelligence was conveyed to his mother last night in a letter from the Admiralty, Able Seaman Hart was employed as a porter at Monifieth Railway Station, and joined the R.N.D. over two years ago, and with the Howe Battalion has spent much service on the various fronts of our far-flung battle-line.  With the Royal Naval Division, he was at the Dardanelles, and from there he was transferred to Salonika, thence to Egypt.

Almost a year ago saw his division upon the western front, where he was wounded in both eyes when bombing some German dugouts last autumn.  He was home on leave, and visited his many friends in Monifieth at the beginning of this year, after a continuous period of active service of 21 months, and had been back in the firing line only a few weeks when he fell.  Mr Hart, who resides at King Street, Broughty Ferry, has another son serving in the navy.

Dundee Evening Telegraph March 2nd 1917

John F Hart was the son of Mrs Margaret Hart of 168 King Street, Broughty Ferry and worked as a Railway Porter. On 1 December 1914 he volunteered to join the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve onboard HMS Unicorn for service in the Royal Naval Division. In April 1915, after initial Naval Training at the Crystal Palace in South London, he was sent to Blandford Camp in Dorset for advanced military training. Drafted to the Howe Battalion in June he arrived on Gallipoli on 18 July. He survived the campaign without serious illness or wounds and, after the evacuation in January 1916, was detached to the Greek island of Stavros. In May, he sailed for France with his Battalion and trained for fighting on the Western Front. In August he was hospitalised for four days and returned to the Howe. In October, he was wounded in a bomb explosion and hospitalised again. Discharged to the Base Depot at Etaples he was sent to the 3rd Entrenching Battalion in November until the end of the month when he returned to the Howe. In January 1917 he was granted 10 days UK leave. On his return the Battalion prepared to assault the German held village of Miraumont after the Puisieux and River Trenches assaults. A swift planned attack turned into a two day battle with 200 Howe casualties by the night of 17 February, caused mainly by enemy shell fire. John Hart was killed in this action but his body was not recovered. His name is listed on the Thiepval Memorial in Northern France.

Iain Stewart and Iain Birnie