Biographies of Casualties

 

LISBURN’S DEAD FROM THE GREAT WAR

 

ABBOTT, Private William Robert.  Born in Lisburn, he lived at 15 McKeown Street in the town and was a member of the Heroes Temperance LOL 141.  He enlisted in Lisburn and serving in A Company 11 RIR (17114) along with his two brothers Sergeant James (who belonged to the 1^st. Lisburn Company of the UVF) and Rifleman Thomas.  He embarked with them as a rifleman from Bordon Camp for France in October 1915 but subsequently transferred to 108 Company MGC 17676.  Reported MIA and subsequently, in June 1917, confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 26, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 5C or 12C.  James and Thomas were both wounded in the same action.  They were the sons of Maggie and Thomas Abbott of 15 McKeown Street, Lisburn where all three brothers lived.  In June 1917 shortly after being notified that William was now officially considered to have been killed, his parents inserted the following poem in the Herald.  “Had I but one last fond look into your loving face, Or had I only got the chance to kneel down in that place, To hold your head, my darling son, while your life blood ebbed away, My heart would not have felt so much the tears I shed to-day.  In the bloom of his life death claimed him, In the pride of his manhood days; None knew him but to love him, None mention his name but with praise; But his unknown grave is the bitterest blow, Only an aching heart shall know”.  Not long afterwards, on the 27 August 1917, Thomas Abbott senior died and was buried in Magheragall burial ground.  James Abbott appears to have married Jane McGurk whose family also lived in McKeown Street – they lived at No. 12.  She was the sister of John McGurk, who like William Abbott, was killed on the opening day of the Somme (see below).

ADAIR, Rifleman George.  Born in Randalstown, he lived in Crumlin, and was a member of Ballynadrenta LOL 1059 in Glenavy and of the UVF.  He enlisted at Randalstown and served in D Company 11 RIR (2243), embarking with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  He was KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 age 20 and, according to his Company Commander, “his loss is very deeply felt throughout the battalion … he was greatly loved and respected both by the officers and men.”  His death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, Belgium panels 138 to 140 and 162 to 162A and 163A.  He was the son of late James Adair and Mary Adair of Seacash, Crumlin, Co. Antrim.

 

ADAMS, Rifleman Ralph.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Hill Street, in the town where he enlisted in 13 RIR (17121).  Reported wounded and missing, and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 17, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15A/B.  He was the son of Susan Adams of 31 Market Lane, Lisburn.  His brother Edward, who served in India, lived at 3 Hill Street, Lisburn.

ADAMS, Rifleman Robert.  Born at Killcross, Crumlin, he lived in Crumlin, enlisted at Antrim and served in 15 RIR (19371).  KIA in Belgium on the 20.10.18 age 28, he is buried in Harlebeke New British Cemetery, Harlebeke, Belgium, plot 10, row B, grave 4.  He was the son of Mrs. Sarah Livingstone of 55 Antrim Street, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.

ADDIS, Rifleman Henry.  Born in Derriaghy, he lived in Lisburn and Belfast, and before the war was employed by John Herd at Seymour Hill Bleachworks, Dinmurry.  Along with James Morrow (below) he was a member of Pond Park Red Cross Preceptory No. 13 and a member of the UVF.  Enlisting in Lisburn, he served in 11 RIR (17126) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  He DoW in France on the 8.6.17, and is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, France, (close to the Franco-Belgium frontier) plot 3, row C, grave 177.  There is no headstone inscription.  His family lived at Castlerobin just north of Lisburn. On the 23 June 1917 they had the following poem inserted in the Herald.  “He marched away so manly, His young head proudly held, His footsteps never faltered, His courage never failed.  He sleeps in death, far, far from home, He owns a soldier’s grave, Proud Erin’s sons, o’er ocean foam, Have shown that he was brave.  Deeply regretted by his sorrowing Uncles, Aunt and Cousins, and also his Grandfather”.

ADDIS, William John.  Commemorated on Ballinderry Parish Church War Memorial.  No positive trace so far.

 

AGNEW, Rifleman James.  Born in Belfast and living in Dunmurry (or Belfast), he enlisted at Lisburn, possibly in 2 RIR, and served in 7 RIR (5037).  Wounded in August 1916 and KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, Belgium, panels 138 to 140 and 162 to 162A and 163A.

ALEXANDER, Private Joseph.  Born in Belfast he lived in the Hillsborough area, enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RInF (22807).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 4, face D or pier 5, face B.

 

ALEXANDER, 2nd Lieutenant John.  Born in Belfast he was educated at Drumbeg National School from which he won a scholarship for Dundalk Educational Institute, “gaining first place in all Ireland”.  After completing his education he was employed in Harland and Wolff’s and later at Belfast Ropeworks.  He subsequently took first place (from 100 candidates) in a competitive exam for a position in the Belfast Co-operative Society.  He received his commission through QUB OTC and served in the 8 LstR.  KIA on the Somme on the 15.7.16 aged 24 only twelve days after going to the front, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.   He was the son of the late Thomas and Mrs. Maria Alexander of Drumbeg, Dunmurry, and brother of Robert Alexander below.  Writing to his mother shortly after, Norman Reeves a fellow officer recorded that he had been killed, “while bombing a German trench”, and that, “one of their grenades fell near him.  He did not suffer any pain.  The Colonel was most shocked and went to his assistance, and unfortunately met his death”.

ALEXANDER, Rifleman Robert S.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Dunmurry, enlisted at Lisburn and served in 13 RIR (17134).  Reported missing and subsequently, in May or June 1917, confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 19, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, face A and B.  He was the youngest son of the late Thomas and Mrs. Maria Alexander of Drumbeg, Dunmurry.  and brother of John Alexander above.

ALLEN  Rifleman Robert.  Lived at Edenderry and served in the RIR.  His death is commemorated on the memorial in Drumbo Presbyterian Church.  No positive trace so far.

ALLEN, Private Robert Henry.  Born in Dunmurry, he lived in and enlisted at Belfast serving in the RASC at the M[otor?]T[ransport?]. Training Depot (DM2/221143).  He died in hospital at Woolwich on the 23.5.17 age 26 and is buried in Dundonald Cemetery, Belfast, plot E5, grave 844.  He was the son of John T. and Sarah E. Allen of 47 Woodcot Avenue, Bloomfield, Belfast.

ALLEN, Rifleman Samuel.  Born in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast in 11 RIR and embarked with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Wounded on the Somme on the 1.7.16 he was subsequently transferred to A Company 12 RIR (18/1199).  KIA in Belgium on the 7.3.17 aged 34, he is buried in St. Quentin Cabaret Military Cemetery, Belgium, plot 2, row B, grave 7.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of Edward and Mary Allen of Lisburn and husband of Agnes Boyd, formerly Allen, of 39 Ardoyne Road, Belfast.

ALLEN, Rifleman William John.  Employed at the firm of William Coulson and Son, he enlisted at Lisburn in A Company 11 RIR (3021) and embarked with them from Bordon Camp for France in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.  He was the husband of Mrs. Allen of 16 Church Street, Lisburn and father of five young children.

ANDERSON, Private Thomas.  Born in Drumbo, Co. Down, he lived in Carryduff, Co. Down, enlisted at Mauchline, Ayrshire and served in 1 RSF (19554).  KIA in Belgium on the 3.4.16, his death is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium, Panels 19 and 33.

ANDERSON, Private William.  Born in Dromara, or Dromore, Co. Down, he lived in Lanark, enlisted at Dunoon, Argyllshire and served in 12 HLI (17537).  KIA in France on the 25.9.15, his death is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, France panels 108-112.

ANDREWS, Rifleman James.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in 72 Hillhall Road, in the town, before the war he, “worked for Mr. Tollerton” and was a member of the UVF.  He enlisted at Lisburn and served in C Company 11 RIR (17105) embarking with them from Bordon Camp for France in October 1915.  He acted as orderly for Captain Cecil Ewart (below) and was KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  He was the husband of Jane Andrews of 72 Hillhall Road, Lisburn and brother of David and brother-in-law of Sarah Andrews of Christ Church, Lisburn.

ANDREWS, Rifleman James.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he lived in Culcavey, enlisted at Belfast and served in 13 RIR (16166).  Reported wounded and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, he is buried in Connaught Cemetery, Thiepval, France, plot 3, row J, grave 10.  There is no headstone inscription.

ANDREWS, Rifleman Matthew.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RIR (9162).  KIA in Belgium on the 6.9.18, he is buried in Wulverghem-Lindenhoek Road, Military Cemetery, Belgium, plot 4, row D, grave 16.  There is no headstone inscription.

ANDREWS, Rifleman Robert.  Born in Culcavey, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RIR (5694).  KIA in Belgium on the 20.4.15 aged 17, he is buried in Elzenwalle Brasserie Cemetery, Voormezelle, Belgium, plot 1, row D, grave 4.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of Mrs. Alice J Andrews of 62 Mountjoy Street, Belfast.

ANDREWS, Rifleman William.  Served in 5 RIR and may have been a reservist.  His death is commemorated on Lisburn and Christ Church War Memorials.  No positive trace so far.

ARMSTRONG, Private James.  Born in Lisburn, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RInF (10128).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 22.5.15 aged 29, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 97-101.  He was the son of Walter and Sarah Jane Armstrong of 88 Broomfield Street, Crumlin Road, Belfast.

ARMSTRONG, Private John.  Born in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, he lived at Oldcastle, Co. Meath, enlisted at Dublin and served in 2 RInF (10665).  KIA in France on the 16.5.15 aged 17, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France, panels 16 and 17.  He was the son of William and Kate Armstrong of Lower-Finor, Oldcastle.

ARMSTRONG, Private William.  Born in Dunmurry, Co. Antrim, he lived in Monaghan, enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RIrF (12311).  KIA in France on the 23.11.17, his death is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial, Louverval, Nord, France, panel 10.

ASHMORE, Private Richard Howell.  CoI.  Born in Creevelea, Co. Leitrim on the 22.2.1872, he was educated at RBAI and QUB, before becoming the principal of the Intermediate School in Lisburn and later the College, Clonmel.  However, chronic laryngitis forced him to give up teaching for a number of years and for a time he studied in Germany.  He subsequently emigrated to British Columbia where he lived in McKay, returned to the teaching profession, and became principal of Cranbrook High School.  Enlisting at Victoria, B.C. on the 11.11.16 aged 44 having been in the 18 FA in Vancouver for one month, he was 5’ 10½” tall, had a 41” chest (fully expanded) with a 5” range of expansion.  Of a ruddy complexion, he had blue-grey eyes and grey hair.  He served in the 2 FA Canadian Army Medical Corps (525078), DoW on the 6.5.17 aged 45 and is buried in Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas de Calais, France, plot 2, row F, grave 84.  The cemetery is just south of the village of Aubigny-en-Artois which is approximately 15 kilometres north-west of Arras.  It was used by the 1^st Canadian CCS in 1917 during the capture of Vimy Ridge by the Canadian Corps.  He was the son of the Rev. John and Mrs. Ashmore of Drumkeerin, Co. Leitrim and husband of Mary Ashmore of McKay and subsequently Mission City, British Columbia.

 

ATKINSON, Private William.  Born in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, he lived in Glasgow, enlisted at Dunoon and served in 1/8 ASH (3440).  KIA in France on the 2.7.16 aged 38, he is buried in Maroeuil Cemetery, France, plot 2, row J, grave 11.

ATKINSON, Sergeant William, MM.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Dublin and served in 2 SeH (9183).  KIA in France on the 24.4.18, he is buried in St. Venant-Robecq Road British Cemetery, France, plot 3, row D, grave 2.

ATKINSON, Private William George.  Born in Co. Down on 29.10.1887, his address was “The Lodge”, Hillsborough Castle, Hillsborough.  A plasterer by trade, he enlisted at Toronto on the 27.6.1916 aged 28 years and 8 months.  His physical development on enlistment was described as good, he had no smallpox marks and 2 vaccination marks on his left arm.  5’9½’’ in height, his chest measured 37’’ (minimum) and 40’’ (maximum).  Weighing 152½ lbs (10 stone 14 ounces) he had a fresh complexion, dark grey eyes and brown hair.  He had a scar on his right ankle and a scar on both knees.  On enlistment he had 3 years military experience as a private with 5 RIR, a reserve battalion.  He was posted to the 208th. battalion and subsequently to the 116th. battalion Canadian Infantry (249793).  KIA in France on the 8.8.18 aged 30, he is buried in Hourges Orchard Cemetery, Domart-sur-La-Luce, France, row A, grave 40.  He was the husband of Mrs. Dorcas Atkinson of “The Lodge”, Hillsborough Castle, Hillsborough, Co. Down.

AYRE, Rifleman Samuel.  Born in Kirkinnola, Co. Antrim, he lived in Glenavy or Crumlin, Co. Antrim.  A member of the Orange Order in Glenavy, he enlisted at Lisburn, Co. Antrim and served in D Company 11 RIR (1281).  Embarking for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915, he was wounded on the Somme on the 1.7.16.  Reported wounded and subsequently KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 age 28, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, Belgium, panels 138 to 140, 162 to 162A and 163A.  He was the son of James Ayre of Glenavy. and husband of Rachel Ayre of Hill Street, Crumlin.

BAILEY Nurse Wilhelmina M. I.  CoI. The youngest daughter of the late William Charley D.L. and sister of Mr. E.J. Charley both of Seymour Hill, Dunmurry, she was married in Los Angeles to Mr. S. Baily, “an English Gentleman”.  During the war she joined the Dunmurry VAD, serving in the UVF hospital in Belfast in 1915 and in York Military Hospital in 1916.  She volunteered for foreign service in 1917 and was posted to Salonica and later Italy, serving at 38th Stationary Hospital, Voluntary Aid Detachment, Genoa.  She died in Italy on the 23 September 1918 and is buried in  Staglieno Cemetery, Genoa, Italy, plot 1, row B, grave 36.  The Italians entered the war on the Allied side, declaring war on Austria, in May 1915 and Commonwealth forces were at the Italian front between November 1917 and November 1918.  Rest camps and medical units were established at various locations in northern Italy behind the front, some of them remaining until 1919.  From November 1917 to the end of the war, Genoa was a base for Commonwealth forces and the 11th General, and 38th and 51st Stationary Hospitals, were posted in the city.

 

BAKER, Private Dawson.  Living at 83 Montrose Street, Belfast, he was employed at Queensisland before the war.  Having enlisted at Belfast in June 1915 he served in 1/5 SeH (4304) and died in a Highland casualty clearing station in France on the 24 December 1915 aged 40, from an illness contracted while on active service.  Buried in Villers-Bocage Communal Cemetery Extension, France, row B, grave 7, he had lived with his sister in Montrose Street, and was the youngest son of John and Isabella Baker of 10 Seymour Street, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.  They had another son and 4 grandsons in the army.  One of them, Dawson’s nephew Walter Baker, was KIA in Belgium a year and a half later (see below).  Two years after that, on the 16 August 1919, a series of In Memoriam notices from Walter Dawson’s aunts and uncles – J and C. Howe of 39 Milbrook Road, Lisburn and M.D. Armstrong and A.R. Ritchie, as well as his mother (probably Dawson’s sister-in-law) and stepfather, grandfather, John Baker (presumably Dawson’s father) and aunt, E. Baker, all of 10 Seymour Street, Lisburn appeared in the Herald remembering both Dawson and Walter.  From M.D. Armstrong and A.R. Ritchie, “Though sad we mark their closing eyes Of those we loved in days gone by, Yet sweet in death, our latest song. We’ll meet again, ‘twill not be long”.  From the Howes, “Its hard to part from those we love, Though parting days will come; Yet let us hope to meet above, For this is not our home”.  From Walter’s mother and stepfather, “I shall meet them some bright morning, Resting by the waters fair; They are waiting for my coming, In the upper garden there”.  From Walter’s grandfather (Dawson’s father) and aunt, “Now the great peace day is coming, But their great peace day is won”.

BAKER, Rifleman Walter.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in 10 Seymour Street in the town and was employed by Mr. Connor a cabinet maker.  A member of the Church Lads’ Brigade and the Temperance Silver Band, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 14 RIR (6916).  He embarked for France in October 1915 and was home on his first leave in July 1917 five weeks before his death.  KIA in Belgium on the 16 August 1917 he is buried in Bridgehouse Cemetery, Langemarck, Belgium, row C, grave 1.  There is no headstone inscription.  An only son, his mother and stepfather lived at 10 Seymour Street, Lisburn.  He was a nephew of Dawson Baker, above, and had another uncle and four cousins on active service.  On the 16 August 1919 a series of In Memoriam notices from his aunts and uncles – J and C. Howe of 39 Milbrook Road, Lisburn and M.D. Armstrong and A.R. Ritchie, as well as one from his mother and stepfather, and one from his grandfather, John Baker and aunt, E. Baker, all of 10 Seymour Street, Lisburn appeared in the Herald remembering both Dawson and Walter.  From M.D. Armstrong and A.R. Ritchie, “Though sad we mark their closing eyes Of those we loved in days gone by, Yet sweet in death, our latest song. We’ll meet again, ‘twill not be long”.  From the Howes, “Its hard to part from those we love, Though parting days will come; Yet let us hope to meet above, For this is not our home”.  From his mother and stepfather, “I shall meet them some bright morning, Resting by the waters fair; They are waiting for my coming, In the upper garden there”.  From his grandfather and aunt, “Now the great peace day is coming, But their great peace day is won”.

BALL, Private David Harris.  Born at Dromara, Co. Down in about 1880, he was educated at the Belfast Model School and Dublin Training College, and was a teacher by profession.  He emigrated to Australia in about 1902 at the age of 22 and lived with his wife Eva Ella and son Hector at Greenbushes, Western Australia where he taught in the local school.  Enlisting at Bunbury, W.A. between the 2 and 21.3.17 aged 36 years and 7 months, he was 5’ 11” tall, weighed 144 lbs. and had a 32-35” chest.  With a fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair, his sight was 6/6 in both eyes.  He entered Blackboy Hill camp for training on the 16.5.17 at which time his records show that he required extensive dental treatment. Completed by the 21.8.17 he had in the meantime gone to the NCO school at Clarefront? in June where he spent 6? weeks training before returning to Blackboy as a Corporal having been promoted on the 1.8.17.  Subsequently he went through a _ _ _ and bombing school there.  Posted to 28 Australian Infantry A.I.F. (7256) on the 9.1.18, he took his final leave between the 28 and 30.1.18.  Sailing from Freemantle on the R.M.S. “Ormond” on 13 March 1918 he reached Suez on the 4.4.18.  After spending nearly 4 weeks at the Australian camp there, he embarked for England from Port Tewfik on the “Ellenga” on the 30.4.18.  Arriving at Southampton on the 15.5.18, he transferred to the 5^th. T[raining] Battalion at Favant and reverted to his original rank of Private.  Promoted to Acting Lance Corporal five days later on the 20.5.18, he reverted again to Private on the 7.8.18, the day before he was posted overseas to France.  Leaving England from Folkestone on the 8.8.18, he landed at Le Havre on the 10.8.18 leaving there for the front two days later on the 12.8.18.  Arriving with his unit on the 15.8.18, he went into action on the 29^th and was killed in action at Mont St. Quentin on 2.9.18 age 38.  Where David Ball was originally buried is unknown but on the 19.12.19 the Military authorities in Melbourne wrote to his wife informing her that he had been re-buried in Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension, France, plot 3, row E, grave 20, although the CWGC records give grave 21.  His headstone inscription reads, “Beloved husband of Eva and father of Hector Ball.  Love ever gives”.  The AWM records that, “he leaves a wife and one surviving son to mourn their loss residing in Western Australia”.

In his will dated the 8.5.17 which he had deposited with the West Australian Bank in Greenbushes, David Ball left “all belongings, property etc. and moneys” to his wife. On the 30.9.18 the AIF Kit Store at 110 Greyhound Road, Fulham, London had received “from the field” a sealed parcel containing his effects.  These were a letter case, photos and a diary.  The Base Records Dept. at Victoria Barracks, Melbourne forwarded a package to Eva Bell on the 4.6.19 which she acknowledged receipt of on the 17.6.19.  However, on the 8.1.1920 she wrote to the Officer in Charge at the Base Records Dept., “Could you tell me if there is any possibility of ever getting my husband’s wristlet watch and the ring he was wearing at the time he fell?  The watch was a presentation to him from the children of the Greenbushes School and is inscribed.  I would be very grateful if you could make inquiries that might lead to the recovery of these for me”.  The reply which was sent less than two weeks later was that, “no personal effects of your husband … have been received at this Office other than the package forwarded to you on the 6.6.19.  If you husband’s watch and ring were recovered at the time of his death they would be forwarded to this Office for disposal.  Advice has been received from A.I.F. Headquarters, London, that all effects of members of the A.I.F. recovered by that administration have been correctly dealt with, but recent enquiries have proved fruitless owing to the inaccessibility of records during this period of demobilisation and repatriation.  However, in the event of the articles … being included in consignments of effects now on the water, they will be promptly forwarded to you on arrival”.  There is no evidence that Eva Ball ever received her husband’s watch and ring.  However, between July 1921 and June 1923 she was sent a Memorial Scroll and Plaque, photographs of her husband’s grave and his Victory Medal.

The son of John and Martha Ball and husband of Eva Ella Ball of Broomehill, Western Australia, she gave the AWM the details of James Ball of Mullaughdrin, Dromara, Co. Down as a contact for further information.  Towards the end of the War she moved from Greenbushes to live at 1138 Hay Street, West Perth and then “Lynton” 47 Collin Street, West Perth.  In January 1920 she moved again, this time to Broomehill, c/o a Mr. L. (or H.) McDonald.  This may have been her own family, for David Ball was the brother in law of Gunner John Alexander McDonald 15 FA Bde. AFA 31712.  He had sailed from Melbourne on the 13.12.16, landing at Plymouth on the 17.2.17.  He was admitted to the Military Hospital Fargo on the 24.7.17 and transferred to Tidworth Military Hospital where he died of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis at 8.15 a.m. on 30.7.17.  He is buried in Tidworth Military cemetery, Wiltshire, row C, grave 325.  His wife Ethel May, daughters, Margaret Edna and Dorothy Jane and son Gordon Stanley John, all lived at Tambellup, W.A.  David Ball was also the brother in law of Sgt. John Richard Norrish (7790), a stretcher bearer with 16 AI.  He won the MM at Hamel Wood on the 4.7.18.  Having survived the war, he returned to Australia in July 1919.  Eva Ball’s address on the AWM is given as c/o Mrs. J.R. Norrish, Broomehill.

BANKHEAD, Private Samuel.  Born in Monkstown, Co. Antrim, he lived in and enlisted at Belfast serving in 1 CH (S/40153).  KIA in France on the 12.7.17, he is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, France, (close to the Franco-Belgium frontier),  plot 3, row D, grave 274.

BARR, Sergeant, Thomas John.  Born at the Maze on the 22.8.1882, he joined the North of Ireland Imperial Yeomanry (later to become the NIH) when he was 18 and served in the Boer War, receiving the King’s medal.  He was then in the South African constabulary for 3 years during which time he “served against” the Zulus in 1906.  He later left South Africa for Canada, living at 12½  Vinbourg Apartments, Agnes Street, Winnipeg and joining the 34^th Fort Garry Horse.  A motorman by profession, he enlisted at Winnipeg on the 18.3.15 aged 32 years and 7 months, he was 5’ 9½” inches tall, had a 36” chest with 2½” expansion, fresh complexion, blue eyes and dark brown hair.  Having been posted to 8 CI MtbaR (A/22368 or 422368), he returned to Belfast on leave in April 1916.  Wounded by shrapnel on the 5 July he subsequently DoW in a casualty clearing station in Belgium on the 9.7.16 age 33.  Buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinge, Belgium, plot 8, row C, grave 8, he was the second son of John and Hannah Jane Carlisle Barr of The Maze, Lisburn, Co. Down, and husband of Mrs. T.J. Barr of 12½  Vinbourg Apartments, Agnes Street, Winnipeg.

BARTON, Private Patrick.  Born in Broxburn, Linlithgo, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Coatbridge and served in 2 RInF (11701).  KIA in France on the 21.3.18, his death is commemorated on the Essigny-le-Grand German Cemetery Memorial 10 in Grand-Seracourt British Cemetery, Aisne, France.  This is a concentration cemetery made between 1920 and 1926.  It contains burials and memorials to those “buried near this spot” or who were buried by the Germans and whose graves could not be found.  The remains of 99 British soldiers (largely Ulster Division) killed in March and April 1918 were brought here from Essigny-le-Grand German Cemetery.

 

BAXTER, Private Edward.  Born in Beragh, Co. Tyrone, he enlisted at Finner Camp, Co. Donegal and served in 9 RInF (13596).  Reported in the Standard as a “Lisburn Casualty” he DoW in France on the 22.5.16.  He was the son of Sarah Maxwell of Legacurry and Beragh, Co. Tyrone. He is buried in Etaples Military Cemetery, France, plot 5, row D, grave 4A.

BEASTON, CSM James.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast, served in 13 RIR (1469) and was KIA on the Somme on the 28.6.16.  He and 13 colleagues in his company were killed (10 immediately and 4 later of wounds) by a German shell which landed amongst them as they paraded in Martinsart village square to go on duty.  They were all buried in Martinsart British Cemetery plot 1, row A.  All Commonwealth War Graves Commission entries for these men give grave 1, presumably therefore it is a communal grave.  Of the 14, 7 are on this list, CSM Beaston and Riflemen A.V. Crangle, R. Crawley, S. Hamilton, G. Heenan, T. Mercer and J.G. Thompson.  There is no headstone inscription.

BEATTIE, Sergeant John James.  Born in and address Hillsborough, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 11 RInF (18319).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 aged 32, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 70-2.  He was the husband of Sarah Beattie of Ballynahinch Street, Hillsborough and son of James and Elizabeth Beattie of Lisburn Street, Hillsborough, Co. Down.

 

BEATTIE, Sergeant William John.  Born in Guilford, Co. Down, he enlisted at Lisburn possibly in A Company 11 RIR with whom he may have embarked from Bordon Camp for France as a Rifleman in October 1915.  KIA at Cambrai in France while serving with C Company 12 RIR (769), on the 22.11.17 aged 24, his death is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial, Louverval Military Cemetery, France, panel 10.  He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Beattie of 14 Linenhall Street, Lisburn.

BECK, Rifleman James.  Born in Hillsborough, he lived in Longstone Street, Lisburn and served his time in Messrs. Millar and Stevensons’ Bakery.  A member of the Christ Church Company Church Lads’ Brigade and of the UVF, he enlisted at Lisburn, served in A Company 11 RIR (17244) and embarked with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Wounded on the Somme on the 1.7.16, he was KIA at Ypres on the 8.8.17 aged 19.  His death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Belgium.  He was the son of the late John Beck and Annie Rogan, formerly Beck, and step-son of Moses Rogan of Lisburn Street Hillsborough and formerly 46 Sloan Street, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.  His sister was Leta Beck.  The news of James Beck’s death was received by his mother in a letter from her other son Rifleman Hugh H. (Harry) Beck who was also on active service.  He and his wife Lizzie lived at 80 Longstone Street, Lisburn while a sister Mary Craig and her husband John lived at number 19.  All the family inserted death notices in the Herald on the 1 September 1917.  From his parents, “Greater love hath no man than this”.  From the Craigs, “Fleeting time will re-unite us, Thou art only gone before” and from Harry and Lizzie Beck, “In a far distant land though his body may rest, Far from his home and the ones he loved best, Still deep in our hearts his memory we keep, Sweet is the place where he now lies asleep”.  A fourth was included by “his loving friend, Jeannie Ferguson” of Plantation, Lisburn.  “At the rivers crystal brink, Christ shall join each broken link”.  Was she James beck’s girlfriend?  On the 9 August 1919 his family once again inserted In memoriam notices in the Herald.  From Annie and Moses Rogan and Leta and Robert Beck at Lisburn Street, Hillsborough, “Not gone from memory, nor from love, But to his Father’s home above”.  From Hugh H. and Lizzie Beck, still at 80 Longstone Street, “Deeply regretted” and from Mary and John Craig now living at 46 Sloan Street, “His fair young life laid down before his prime, His sweet spring-tide had but begun: Alas! For harvest-time”.  In addition there was a notice from “his chum” A. Kerr of 37 Church Street, Lisburn, “In loving memory”.

BEERS, Rifleman Samuel.  Born in Drumbo, Co. Down, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Belfast, and served in 6 RIR (11250).  KIA at Gallipoli on the 14.8.15 aged 20, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, part 2.  He was the son of Isabella Beers, Ballylesson, Belfast and the late William Beers and husband of Martha Beers of Rushey Hill, Stoneyford, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.  Their son (also Samuel) was born while his father was serving overseas and Samuel snr. never saw him before his death.

BEGGS, Captain Henry Parker.  Before the war he was employed by Messrs. Richardson, Sons and Owden at their Glenmore works.  A member of Lisburn and Cliftonville Cricket Clubs and Cliftonville Hockey Club he also belonged to the UVF.  Commissioned into B Company 8 RIR in 1914, and promoted to Captain in early 1916, he was reported MIA and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France and on a separate memorial in St. Colman’s Parish Church, Dunmurry erected, “To the Beloved Memory of Captain Henry Parker Beggs 8 RIR missing, believed killed at Thiepval, France”.  It was unveiled at a memorial service held on the 28 June 1919.  In a report in the Standard for the 18.10.18 regarding his brother’s decoration, he was still listed as missing.    According to the Standard he was, “one of the most unassuming young men and never wished to appear in the limelight.  So sensitive indeed was he in this respect that he expressed the wish should anything happen that his photograph should not appear in the newspapers”.  The youngest son of Samuel and Minnie Beggs, Chestnut Villa, Dunmurry, and grandson of the late Mr. W.J.M. Parker of Carelton House, Blaris, his father was “associated with” the firm of Richardson and Owden.  He was a brother of Mrs. W.S. Ritchie and of Lt. S. Parker Beggs.  He was a graduate of QUB and had served his apprenticeship with Mr. L.L. Macassey.  Before joining the army he had been a civil engineer with the Congested Districts Board.  Serving with the RE during the war, he was awarded the MC in October 1918.  He survived and along with the other members of his family attended the memorial service to his brother in Dunmurry in June 1919.

BELL, Rifleman Arthur.  Born in Killead (beside Aldergrove airport), he lived in Crumlin, Co. Antrim.  A member of the Orange Order in Glenavy, he enlisted at Clandeboye, Co. Down and served in A Company 9 RIR (11/6455).  He DoW on the Somme on the 4.6.16 aged 18, and is buried in Forceville Communal Cemetery and Extension, France, plot 1, row D, grave 2.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of Daniel and Mary Jane Bell of the Diamond, Crumlin, Co. Antrim.

BELL, Gunner Edward.  Born in Moira, Co. Down, he enlisted at Hammersmith, Middlesex and served in 130 Heavy Battery. RGA (68653).  He DoW in France on the 14.4.18, and is buried in Namps-Au-Val British Cemetery, Somme, France plot 2, row C, grave 30.  He was the husband of Mrs. E. Bell of 54 Cambridge Row, Hammersmith, London.

BELL, Guardsman George Reilly.  Born at Castledawson or Magherafelt, he had an address in Castledawson but worked as a police constable in the RIC in Lisburn.  He and four other constables (Christopher Coldwell, William Cunningham, P. Shields and William Stewart) had left Lisburn on the 29 December 1914 to enlist in the Irish Guards.  “Large crowds” had assembled to see them off, and each was presented with a box of cigarettes before they left.  Marching from Smithfield barracks, they were escorted by a guard of honour made up of men in 11 RIR.  According to the Standard, “the constables went direct to London” although the WOCL records that Bell enlisted in Dublin.  He served in 2 IG (6270), although it is possible that he was originally in 1 IG, the same battalion as his comrades.  KIA in France on the 21.1.18 aged 27, he is buried in Brown’s Copse Cemetery, Roeux, France, plot 4, row C, grave 36.  He was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Bell.  Of the five constables who left Lisburn that afternoon late in December 1914, at least three, Bell, Coldwell (below) and Cunningham (below), were to die before the war was over.  Shields appears to have survived and Stewart may have done so as well, although his fate is less certain.  A Guardsman William Stewart who was born in Hamilton Lanark, enlisted in West Calder, Midlothian and served in 2 IG (7365), DoW in France on the 15.11.15 aged 27.  Buried in Longuenesse (St. Omer) Souvenir Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, plot, 3, row A, grave 12, he was the husband of Janet Stewart of 22 Blantyre Terrace, Edinburgh.

BELL, Private James Alexander.  Born in Shankill, Belfast, he lived in Aghalee, Co. Antrim.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RIrF (14027).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 19, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15A.  He was the son of John, (who died on the 7.2.21), and Martha Bell of Derryash, Aghalee.  His death is also commemorated on the family headstone in Lower Ballinderry Maravian churchyard.

BELL, Gunner John.  Born in Dromara, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 119 Battery 27 Bde. RFA (32885).  KIA on the Somme on the 24.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 1 A and 8 A.

BELL, Rifleman John (Jack).  Born in Workington, Cumberland, he lived at 2 Hillhall Road in Lisburn where he and his two brothers Andrew and Harry, were members of the South Antrim Volunteers, the local battalion of the UVF.  He enlisted either in Lisburn or Belfast and served in 14 RIR, the Young Citizens Volunteers, (19383).  Initially reported missing, he had been KIA on the Somme on the 1 July 1916 age 23.  He was the husband of Maria and father of Jennie Bell of 71 Mercer Street and 2 Hillhall Road, Lisburn.  Maria had the following poem included with an In Memoriam notice published in the Herald on the 30 June 1917.  ”Gone from this earth so swiftly, Plucked like a flower in bloom; He was so good and thoughtful, Yet called away so soon”.  Another notice in the Herald on the 5 July 1919 read, “God knows how much we miss him.  Ever remembered by his sorrowing Wife and little Daughter.”  He was the son of Mrs. Bell of Mercer Street, Lisburn and of John Bell of Riverside Terrace, Old Hillsbotough Road, in the town.  Why his parents had different addresses is not clear.  One possibility is that his mother had gone to live with her daughter-in-law while her sons and husband were away, for John Bell senior, Harry and Andrew Bell also served in the army.  Although all appear to have survived, they did not do so unscathed.  John senior had been invalided home “some months” prior to August 1916.  Harry and Andrew for their part were both involved in the fighting on the 1^st July.  Andrew was seriously wounded while Harry, who lived on the Old Hillsborough Road in Lisburn, was mistakenly listed as KIA.  Shortly after though, he wrote to his mother “mentioning that he was alright”.  He also tried to reassure her about Jack who was missing, pleading with her, “not to worry, as there are some of the boys who have been reported missing coming in yet”.  Jack Bell was not one of them.  He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, face A/B.  His sister and brother-in-law, Maggie and William Irwin, lived at 76 Bachelors’ Walk, Lisburn.

BELL, Sergeant Robert Joseph.  A member of the Orange Order in Glenavy, he served in 11 RIR (11/61) with whom he may have embarked from Bordon Camp for France in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 21, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, Addenda Panel.  He was the son of Robert and Rose Ann Bell of Ballyvorally, Glenavy, Co. Antrim.  His death is also commemorated on the family headstone in Glenavy Parish church graveyard which was erected by his mother.  She died on the 7.12.31 aged 69, twenty years to the day after her husband Robert, RJ’s father, who died on the 7.12.11 aged 80.

BELL, Lance corporal Robert.  Born in Crumlin, Co. Antrim, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Ballykinlar, Co. Down and served in 1 RInF (9423).  He DoW in Egypt, probably from wounds received at Gallipoli, on the 1.6.15, and is buried in Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt, row M, grave 103.

BELL, Private Robert.  Born in Crilly, Co. Tyrone, he lived in Dunmurry, enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RIrF (14035).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France pier and face 15A.

 

BELL, Rifleman William.  A member of the Orange Order in Glenavy, he served in 2 RIR.  His death is commemorated on the memorials in Glenavy Parish Church and Glenavy Orange Hall.  No positive trace so far.

BELL, Rifleman William.  Born in Blaris, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 1 RIR (8855).  KIA in Belgium on the 9.5.15 aged 32. his death is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium.  He was the son of Mrs. William Gray.

BENSON, Private David.  Born at Trummery, near Moira he enlisted at Stockton-on-Tees and was posted to the Yorkshire Regiment (45417).  Subsequently transferred to the 47 MGC(I) (122848) he was KIA in France on the 23.3.18.  He is buried in Metz-En-Couture Communal Cemetery British Extension, Pas de Calais, France, plot 3, row A, grave 1.  There is no headstone inscription.

 

BENSON, Sergeant John.  Born at Lisburn, and living in Dunmurry, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR 17178.  He embarked for France from Bordon as a lance corporal in October 1915 and was reported wounded and subsequently, KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17.  His death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium.

BENTLEY, Private James Edward.  Born at Hillsborough, he lived and enlisted in Dublin and serving in the SIH (1742).  KIA in France on the 14.5.17 aged 22, he is buried in Philosophe British Cemetery, Mazingarbe, France, plot 1, row P, grave 3.  He was the son of James Edward and Henrietta Sophie Bently of 11 Rialto Buildings, Dolphins Barn, Dublin.

BERRY, Lance corporal James.  Born in Larne, he lived at Culcavey, Hillsborough with his widowed mother.  An “old cavalryman” he had joined the Dragoon Guards in 1899 and served in South Africa during the Boer War, subsequently becoming a drill instructor and completing 12 years service.  By the time of the outbreak of war, he was an employee of the Hillsborough Linen Company and member of the Hillsborough Company of the U.V.F.  He enlisted at Lisburn and served in 13 RIR (17180).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, while “advancing most gallantly with his Company to attack the German trenches”, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.  He was the son of Mrs. Berry of Hillsborough.

BERRY, Rifleman William John.  Born and living in Culcavey? Hillsborough, Co. Down, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in C Company 13 RIR (17261).  He DoW in France on the 29.6.16 aged 27 and is buried in Forceville Communal Cemetery Extension, France, plot 2, row A, grave 7.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of Mary and the late James Berry, of Culcavey, Hillsborough, Co. Down.

BERTIE, Private John.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Dundee and served in 9 BW (S/6856).  KIA in France on the 25.9.15 aged 36, his death is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, France, panels 78-83.  He was the husband of Ellen Bertie of 4 Parkers Court, King Street, Dundee.

BICKERSTAFF, Corporal William.  Born in Dunmurry, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RIR (1914).  Taken prisoner, he was a PoW when he died in Germany on the 1.7.18.   He is buried in Berlin South-Western Cemetery, Berlin, Brandenburg, Germany, plot 1, row C, grave 5.  In 1922-23 it was decided that the graves of Commonwealth servicemen who had died all over Germany should be brought together into four permanent cemeteries.  Berlin South-Western was one of those chosen and in 1924-25 graves were brought into the cemetery from more than 140 burial grounds in eastern Germany.

BLACK, Private Harold Edward.  Born in Ballycastle on the 11.6.1894, he was an old scholar of Friends’ School Lisburn which he entered on the 5.5.08 and left on the 7.4.10.  During this time his reports were generally “satisfactory”.  A custom clerk by profession, he enlisted at Winnipeg on the 7.9.1915 aged 21 years and 3 months.   Height 5’10’’, chest fully expanded 36½’’ with a 2½’’ expansion, he had a fair complexion, greenish-grey eyes and dark brown hair.  A single man, he gave his brother Robert of 11 Bartella Court, Home Street, Winnipeg as his next of kin.  He had 1 years military experience with the 90th. Rifles H.D. and on enlistment was posted to the 90th. Canadian Infantry, “Winnipeg Rifles”.  Subsequently transferred to the 78 battalion Canadian Infantry, Manitoba Regiment (186298), he died on the 19.11.17 aged 23 and is buried in Etaples Military Cemetery, plot 30, row L, grave 23.  He was the son of William Boyes and Sarah Jane Black whose family home was in Ballycastle.

BLACK, Rifleman William.  Born at and enlisting in Belfast he lived at Ballycollier, Dunmurry.  Serving in B Company 1RIR (5946) he died of sickness in Belgium while a PoW on the 13.10.18 age 23.  Buried by the Germans in Deerlyck German Cemetery, his grave was subsequently lost and his death is now commemorated on the Deerlyck German Cemetery memorial 3 in Dadizeele New British Cemetery, Belgium.  The memorial, which is the same as the standard Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone has the inscription, “Gone but not forgotten”.  He was the son of Thomas and Mary Black of 12 Mill Row, Dunmurry, Co. Antrim.

BLACKBURN, Gunner John Alexander.  Served in the RGA (18807) and died on the 19.3.17 aged 32.  He is buried in Annahilt Presbyterian churchyard grave 467 beside Jeannie Blackburn who died on the 25.3.59.  However, it is not clear what the relationship, if any, is.  The headstone inscription reads, “This is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith. 1 John 5.4”.  He was the son of the late James and Catherine Blackburn.

BLAIN, Private Edward.  Of Lake View, Maze or Ballykeel, Artifinney, he served in 1 WR NZEF (28420) and DoW in France on the 3.7.17.  Buried in St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen, France, block P, plot 2, row G, grave 4A, he was the brother of John Blain of Ballykeel, Artifinney, Hillsborough, Co. Down.

BLAKELY, Corporal Herbert (Bertie).  Born in Belfast, he lived in Dunmurry, enlisted at Ballykinlar and served in 7 RInF (9437).  KIA on the Somme on the 9.9.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France Pier and Face 4 D and 5 B.

BLAKELY, Rifleman Samuel.  Born and living in Hilden View, Tullynacross, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 11 RIR (597), embarking with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Listed as missing and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, face A and B.

BOOMER, Gunner William.  Born in Dunmurry on the 24.6.1891 and a “mechanical chauffeur” by profession, he enlisted at Toronto on the 25.9.1915 aged 24 years 3 months having had no previous military experience.  Height 5’ 9¼’’ chest fully expanded 39½’’ with 3½’’ expansion, he had a fair complexion, blue eyes, and brown hair.  He also had a 1½’’ scar on his right elbow.  Posted originally to the 67th. Overseas Depot Battery, CFA, CEF he subsequently served in the 4 Brigade CFA (302360).  KIA in Belgium on the 3.11.17 age 26 he is buried in Vlamertinghe New Military Cemetery, Belgium, plot 12, row E, grave 11.  The HS inscription reads, “In loving memory”.  He was the younger son of William John and Elizabeth Boomer of Milltown, Derriaghy. According to the cemetery register, Vlamertinghe was just outside the range of enemy shell fire and was used by both artillery and field ambulance units.

BOOMER, Captain Walter Charter, M.C.  Educated at Friends’ School Lisburn, he was an officer in the 1^st Lisburn Battalion of the UVF.  He had enlisted in 11 RIR as a private shortly after it was formed but was commissioned on the 7 January 1915 and embarked for France from Bordon Camp as a 2nd. Lt. with D Co. 11 RIR in October 1915.  Wounded four times before his death, once just prior to July 1916 as a result of which he may not have taken part in the attack at Thiepval on the 1.7.16, again in September and a third time in November 1916.  On the last occasion his wounds were light and he returned to duty in the front line after being treated at a field dressing station.  Writing back to his mother “from a sea of mud”, he made light of his wounds.  However, in January or February 1917 he was hit in the right thigh by a bullet which had to be extracted and on this occasion had to spend time in hospital in London recovering.  Promoted to Captain on the 20.7.17, he was awarded the MC in the autumn of 1917, “for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in command of his Company.  When the assaulting troops were falling back he rallied them under very heavy fire, collected parties of other units, and reorganised the defence of the front line”.  Home on sick leave suffering from malaria shortly before his death, he had been given a medical certificate “to be sent to the War Office but so eager was [he] to get back to duty that he did not wait for a reply, which arrived after he had gone up to the line, and exempted him from active service for some time longer”.  He DoW on the 1.10.18 aged 27 at Becelaere, east of Ypres, while serving as a Captain with 12 RIR.  He is buried in Dadizelle New British Cemetery, Belgium, plot 2, row D, grave 2, and commemorated on the family headstone in Lambeg Parish Church where the inscription reads, “Father in thy glorious keeping, leave we now thy servant sleeping”.  He was the son of Jane Armstrong Boomer and Richard Walter Boomer who died on the 21st. August 1932 aged 84 and is buried at Lambeg.  The family was of Huguenot descent and lived at Knockmore House, Lisburn.

BOSTON, Rifleman William  Born in Shirland, Derby, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RIR (9141).  KIA in France on the 10.3.15, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France, panels 42 and 43.

BOTHWELL, Private, Arthur William.  Born in Dromore, Co. Down, he had served in the Boer War. Enlisting at Belfast he served in C Company 6 RInF (12757) and DoW in the Balkans on the 13.9.16 age 35.  Buried in Salonika (Lembet Road) Military Cemetery, Greece grave 396 he was the son of the late Jonathan and Agnes A. Bothwell of Derry, Dromara, Co. Down and husband of Mary Bothwell of 10 Ashfield Street, Belfast.

BOTHWELL, Rifleman Thomas H.    Born in Dromara, Co. Down, he lived at Mill Row, Dunmurry.  Enlisting at Belfast, he served in 9 RIR (154) and was KIA on the Somme on the 4.6.16.  He was buried in Authuile Military Cemetery, France, row C, grave 3, there is no headstone inscription.

BOWERS, Rifleman James.  Born either at Caledon, Co. Tyrone or at 15 McCleery Street, Belfast on the 10 August 1887, he was the son of John and Mary Ellen (O’Neill) Bowers.  Sometime before 1911 he left home for Cumberland where he lived at 11 Prospect Terrace, Cleator.  He was 25 and working in a mill there when he met and married Mary Murphy a 21 year old from 20 Fletcher Street, Cleator Moor.  They were married in the Registry Office at Whitehaven on the 17 July 1911.  Their first child Sarah was born on the 19 August 1911 after which the family moved back to Ireland where they were living at Tullynacross when their second child, Mary, was born on the 12 August 1914.  She was baptised at Lisburn Cathedral and their address at the time was Mill View, Lambeg.

In April 1915 James Bowers enlisted at Lisburn as a rifleman (11583) in the 6 RIR and in May moved with his Battalion to Hackwood Park, Basingstoke for further training.  After sailing for Mudros via Alexandria, they landed at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli on the 5 August 1915.  At the time or shortly after he was wounded and died on board a hospital ship on the 12th August 1915.  He is buried in East Mudros Military Cemetery, Lemnos, plot 2, row D, grave 63.  On the 17 December 1915 his son, also James Bowers, was born at Tullynacross shortly after which Mary and her three children left Ireland and moved back to Cumberland.

 

BOWMAN, 2nd. Lieutenant Robert Moore.  Served in the 81st Brigade RFA.  KIA on the Somme on the 5.8.16 aged 21, he is buried in Carnoy Military Cemetery, France, row N, grave 34.  The headstone inscription reads, “He died for freedom and honour”.  He was the son of Thomas Kynaston Bowman of 50 Hanover Gate Mansions, Regents Park, London.

BOYD, Lance corporal Alexander.  Born at Ballyclare, he lived in Ravarnette, enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RIR (7784).  KIA in France on the 27.10.14, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France, panels 42 and 43.

BOYD, Rifleman David. Born in Lisburn, he lived with his widowed mother at Millbrook, on the Low Road, Lisburn.  An organ Blower in Lisburn Cathedral, he worked  at Glenmore.  Enlisting at Lisburn he served in D Company 11 RIR (17295), with whom he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 23 he is buried in Forceville Communal Cemetery and Extension, Forceville, France, plot 2, row A, grave 14 next to Adam Clarke (below).  There is no headstone inscription.

BOYD Lieutenant Henry. Served in 100 Squadron R.A.F.  He was KIA in France on the 26.8.18 aged 19 and is buried in Charmes Military Cemetery, France, plot 1, row B, grave 2.  He was the son of William A. and M or N Boyd of Hollway Drive, Santa Cruz, California, U.S.A.

BOYD, CSM James. Born in Belfast on the 29 July 1892 he was a single man and blacksmith by trade with three years experience in the RCE.  Possibly a member of the Orange Order in Glenavy, he lived at St John’s P.Q., Canada and enlisted there on the 1 July 1918.  With a ruddy complexion, grey eyes and brown hair, he was 5’ 8½” tall and had a 38½“ chest with a 4” expansion.  He was posted to the Canadian Engineers (2013550) but died shortly after of pneumonia on the 2 October 1918 age 26 and is buried in St. Jean-sur-Richelieu (St. James) cemetery, Quebec, grave 106.  Given the date of his enlistment and the date and place of his death it is unlikely that he ever left Canada after joining up.  He was the youngest son of William and Isabella Boyd of Main Street, Crumlin, Co. Antrim and brother of Farrier Sergeant William Boyd, below.

 

BOYD Lieutenant Thomas Moffatt. (George).  Born in Castleblaney, he was an old scholar of Friends’ School, Lisburn.  He died of dysentery while on active service with the RAMC in Mozambique, East Africa on the 25.10.18 and is buried in Lumbo British Cemetery, Mozambique, plot 1, row B, grave 8.  He was a brother of Joseph Boyd, late cashier in the Ulster Bank, Lisburn.    A brass tablet mounted on oak was erected to him in Ballybay Presbyterian Church.  Ballybay lies west of Castleblaney and south of Monaghan.

BOYD, Farrier Sergeant William.  Born in Co. Donegal on the 29.3.1884, he had been a member of the Orange Order in Glenavy, and enlisted at Quebec on the 26.9.14 aged 30.  A farrier by occupation, he had by this time had 4 years “Imperial service” and 7 years and 3 months “Canadian service”.  A single man, he was 5’ 11½” tall with a 39” chest (including 4½” expansion) and had a fair complexion with brown eyes and black hair.  He was KIA on the 7.5.17 aged 33 while serving in 2 Brigade CFA (41712).  In a letter to his father, Major Alderson wrote, “Sergeant Boyd was in charge of three wagons carrying material to the gun position, when the enemy opened up on the road they were taking.  He was hit by a splinter and his death was instantaneous.  I sympathise with you very much in your loss, a loss in which the officers and men of this Battery have a share.  He was very popular with all ranks, and his death has caused a gap which we all feel will not be easily filled”.  Buried in La Targette British Cemetery, Neuville-St.-Vaast, Pas de Calais, France, plot 2, row A, grave 8, he was the son of William Boyd of Main Street, Crumlin, Co. Antrim and brother of CSM James Boyd, above.

 

BRADLEY, Sergeant George, MM.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in the MGC (17709).  Subsequently transferred to MGC(T) (206144), he DoW in France on the 3.5.17 aged 26 and is buried in Mory Abbey Military Cemetery, France, plot 1, row D, grave 1.  He was the son of Robert and Margaret Bradley of 34 Greenmount Villa, Henderson Avenue, Belfast.

BRAITHWAITE, CSM James.   Born in Lambeg, he had a Lisburn address.  An “old” soldier with nine years experience and a gymnasium instructor, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 MR (714).  Listed as missing at Kut in Mesopotamia (Iraq) from the 8 March 1916, his parents were informed in May that he was a PoW in Constantinople.  By June/July it was reported that he was wounded although subsequent references to him were to the effect that he was missing.  Eventually, in February 1918 “after almost a year’s anxiety and doubt” the War Office informed his parents that he was considered to have been KIA in Mesopotamia on the 8.3.16 aged 33.  His death is commemorated on the Basra Memorial, Iraq.  He was the third son of Samuel and Eleanor Braithwaite of 56 Millbrook, Low Road, Lisburn and husband of Alice Braithwaite of Junction Cottage, Ashton-under-Lyne and 22 Barkwell Lane, Mossley, Manchester.  They had two young children.  Samuel Braithwaite was “a prominent member of the Rechabite fraternity”.

Although James Braithwaite is officially recorded as having been KIA, the fact that he was at one point reported to be a PoW in Constantinople (see above) raises the question of whether in fact he had, and what had actually happened to him.  Whatever it was, it is difficult to imagine that it could have been worse that the fate that befell his colleagues.  On the 29 April 1916, the garrison at Kut, which had been under siege since the 5 December 1915, surrendered to the Turks.  Sometime between then and the 6 May a “veritable death march” began as the captives were led north towards Anatolia “without any concern whatsoever for their well-being, or for their helpless status as prisoners-of-war” (Martin Gilbert, “The First World War” p.’s 247-8).  Deprived of food and water, and beaten and whipped by those who guarded them, 2500 Indian and 1750 British prisoners were to perish on the way.

Three of James Braithwaite’s brothers also saw active service.  CSM Samuel Braithwaite had served with the Lincolnshire Regiment in the Boer War and held both the King’s and Queen’s medals.  He lived at 10 Ivan Street in the town with his wife and three children.  A Sergeant Instructor in the 1^st. Lisburn battalion of the UVF, he served in 11 RIR (17203), embarking with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  In May 1917 he was awarded the Ulster Division Parchment for gallantry in the field.  This was “for organizing parties in Thiepval Wood on the 23 June 1916 to rescue men buried by shell fire.  He set a splendid example to his men and was himself severely wounded”.  Sergeant Rene Braithwaite, who lived at 56 Millbrook, Low Road, Lisburn with his parents, served in the Cable Section, Royal Engineers.  An “old soldier” with 20 years service, he had been on his way home “time expired” when the war started and promptly re-enlisted.  He was awarded the D.C.M. in late 1916/early 1917.  Acccording to the citation the decoration was for, “conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty … establishing and maintaining communications throughout operations, … repeatedly repairing wires in the open under heavy fire”.  William L. Braithwaite, the youngest of the four, was a leading signalman on a R.N. Dreadnought.  James Braithwaite’s three brothers all appear to have survived the War.

BRATTY, Private George.  Born in Lisburn, where he lived at 12 Barrack Lane with his wife and three small children, he was employed by the Inland Navigation Company.  He enlisted at Moy, Co. Tyrone and served in 9 RInF (22679).  He DoW in France on the 17.7.16 and is buried in St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen, France, plot A, row 30, grave 10.

BROWN, Driver Adam.    Born in Hannahstown, Co. Antrim, address Dunmurry.  He enlisted at Belfast, served in the RASC (TH/045350) and was attached to 1/4 NLR.  Reported as suffering from shell shock in February 1917, he died of influenza in France 4.11.18 age 24.  Buried in Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille, Pas de Calais, France, plot 7, row C, grave 1.  He was the son of James and Eliza Jane Brown of Torneroy, Hannahstown, Belfast.

BROWN, Rifleman Charles.  Born in Ballymacarrett, Belfast, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RIR (9472).  KIA in France on the 13.3.15, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France, panels 42/3.

BROWN, Rifleman Edmund.    Born in Carnmoney, he lived at Greenhill, Lambeg.  Before the war he worked as a flaxdresser in the York Street Flax Spinning Company, Belfast and may have been a member of Lisnagarvey Hockey Club.  An Orangeman in Hilden True Blues LOL 594 he also belonged to the UVF.  Enlisting at Lisburn he served in B Company 11 RIR (2192) and embarked with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 20, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  Husband of Mary Brown of 3 Sandymount, Tullynacross, Lambeg, they had five children.  He also had a brother who served in 11 RIR, a brother-in-law who had been killed earlier in the war and another who had been wounded.

BROWN, Lieutenant Edward.  He lived at Pond Park, Lisburn, and was a member of Lisnagarvey Hockey Club and goalkeeper for the 1^st. XI.  Before the war he had been employed for seven years at Messrs. William Heney & Co., Brunswick Street, Belfast, and was manager of Messrs. R. McBride & Co. finishing and stitching works in Alfred Street, Belfast.  A member of the South Antrim Volunteers, UVF he was signaling instructor at the Old Town Hall.  Commissioned on the 16 November 1914 and promoted to Lieutenant on the 1 April 1916, he served for a time with 11 RIR although he did not embark with them for France in October 1915.  Subsequently posted to 18 RIR, and attached to 2 RIR, he was slightly wounded by shrapnel during the attack on the Messines Ridge on the 7.6.17, taking over command of his company after his Captain was hit.  KIA by a grenade near Ypres on the 7 August 1917 aged 25 his bodied was carried back to the British lines where he was buried in the Huts Cemetery, Dickebusch, Belgium, plot 2, row B, grave 13.  His headstone inscription reads, “Make them to be numbered with thy saints in glory everlasting”.  The eldest son of Robert and Mary Brown of Pond Park, Lisburn, Robert Brown was manager of Messrs. R. McBride & Co.’s works at Alfred Street, Belfast.  The Huts Cemetery was near gun positions and nearly two thirds of the soldiers in it were gunners.  Its name comes from the fact that there was a long line of huts along the road beside the cemetery which were used to accommodate field ambulances. His cousin, Second Lieutenant William Gordon Curry who lived at North Parade, Belfast? and served in 12 CR was KIA in Belgium on the 7 June 1917 while serving with 13 CR.  He is buried in Wulverghem-Lindenhoek Road Military Cemetery, Heuvelland, Belgium plot 2, row G, garve 9.

BROWN, Private George.    Born in Randalstown, he lived in Crosshill, Co. Antrim.  A member of the Orange Order in Glenavy, he enlisted at Antrim and served in the RIR (19404).  He may have embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915 as a riflemen with 11 RIR and subsequently transferred to 108 Company MGC(I) (17678).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 he is buried in Connaught Cemetery, plot 2, row L, grave 8.  There is no headstone inscription.

 

BROWN, Rifleman Henry.  Born in Blaris Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 1 RIR (4917).  Reported missing and subsequently KIA in Belgium on the 9.5.15 aged 22, his death is commemorated on Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium, panel 9.  He was the son of John and Catherine Brown, (nee Britton), who lived at 22 Cottage Row, Lambeg, and may have been a brother of John Brown (11 RIR) below.  On the 9 April a letter appeared in the Standard from, “a few Lisburn chaps at the front” who had been involved in the fighting at Neuve Chapelle.  The signatories were Riflemen R. Smith, Sharkey, Cree, and Brown of 1 RIR and Private Love of the ELR.  They had written to express their sympathies with the family of Jack Kirkwood (see above) who had died on the 23 March.  Private Love (or Lovie as he appears on Lisburn War Memorial) was probably Henry Topping who seems to have been using his mother’s name.  Five weeks later on the 14 May another letter from “the lads of Lisburn now at the front” appeared.  In it they thanked “the girls of the Railway Hotel Lisburn” for comforts they had sent out.  By the time that it was published, Henry Topping, East Lancs, Robert Smith and Henry Brown who were all signatories, were dead.  None has a known grave and like Henry Brown, Henry Topping and Robert Smith are commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Belgium.  One implication of these letters is that groups of men from the town who served in different battalions actually met, presumably when they were off duty.

BROWN, Rifleman James.    Born in Lisburn, he lived in Connolly Row .  He enlisted in the town and served in 11 RIR (4731), embarking for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  He DoW from gas in France on the 2.9.16 aged 20 and is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, France, (close to the Franco-Belgium frontier) plot 2, row F, grave 196.  There is no headstone inscription.  His father, Samuel Brown, lived at 35 Sprucefield, Lisburn, Co. Down.

 

BROWN, Rifleman John.  Born at Thornliebank, Renfrew, he lived in Lisburn, Co. Antrim.  and before the war was employed at Hilden Dye Works.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in 11 RIR (11/985), embarking with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA in France on the 28.6.16 aged 21, he is buried in Puchevillers British Cemetery, France, plot 1, row A, grave 5.  He was the son of John and Catherine Brown of Thornliebank, Renfrewshire and the Low Road, Lisburn and possibly brother of Henry Brown (1 RIR) above.

BROWN, Corporal John.  Born in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 8 RIR (12561). DoW in Belgium on the  7.6.17, he is buried in Dranoutre Military Cemetery, Belgium, plot 1, row J, grave 33.   There is no headstone inscription.

BROWN, CSM Martin.  Born in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 17 RIR (1149).  Dieing at home on the 22.3.16 aged 52, he is buried in Blaris Old Cemetery, Lisburn.  His wife, Mrs.  M. Brown lived at 94 Marlborough Park, Belfast.

BROWN, Rifleman Samuel.    Born in Blaris, he enlisted at Lisburn and served originally in 11 RIR with which he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Subsequently transferred to 11/13 RIR (6861)  when the 11^th and 13^th battalions were amalgamated in August 1917, he was KIA “by shrapnel through the heart” at Cambrai on the 2.12.17 and is buried in Metz-en-Couture Communal Cemetery, British Extension, France, plot 3, row C, grave 7.  There is no headstone inscription.  In a letter to the mother of Jonathan Reddick (see below), who also served in 11 RIR and died the same day, the Chaplain explained how, “Early in the afternoon of the 2^nd [December] the battalion came under heavy shell fire”.

BROWN, Rifleman, William James.  Born in Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RIR (284).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 18, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.  He was the son of Mrs. Agnes J Thompson of Mosside Hill, Lambeg, Lisburn.

BRUCE, Rifleman Thomas Ernest M.M.  Born and living in Dunmurry he was a member of Derriaghy LOL 135 and was employed as an apprentice draughtsman at Harland and Wolff in Belfast.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in either 14 or 15 RIR (16274).  Reported wounded in September 1917, possibly at Langemarck, the previous month, he DoW in Belgium on the 20.10.18 age 22, having served for over four years.  He may originally have been buried in Lendelede Cemetery, near Courtrai, Belgium, however, he is now interred in Harlebeke New British Cemetery, Harelbeke, Belgium, plot 3, row C, grave 1.  His death is also commemorated on the family headstone in Lambeg Parish Church Cemetery.  The only son of Charlotte Rebecca and Thomas Bruce Jr. of Woodview, Dunmurry, his mother had died on the 17.6.16 age 53, his father forty four years later on the 22.3.60 aged 94.

BRUCE, Rifleman William.  Born in Dunmurry, Co. Antrim, he lived in Cultra, Co. Down or Dunmurry and was employed in the stockroom at the York Street Flax Spinning Company in Belfast.  He was also a member of LOL 136 Mosside and of the South Antrim Volunteers (UVF) from which he enlisted in the army at Lisburn in 1914.  He embarked for France from Bordon with 11 RIR in October 1915 and was reported wounded in late August/early September 1916, possibly while in action on the Somme on 1.7.16.  He survived but subsequently DoW in Belgium on the 23.10.18 age 24 while serving in 12 RIR (17204) to which he would have been transferred after 11 were disbanded.  Buried in Harlebeke New British Cemetery, Belgium, plot 2, row C, grave 3, he was the son of John and Frances Cosby Bruce of Kilmakee, Dunmurry and husband of Mary Jane Bruce of Edgebank, Deramore Park South, Belfast.

BRYANS, Rifleman James Henry.  Born in Ballyknock, Hillsborough, Co. Down, he lived in Banbridge, Co. Down, enlisted at Belfast and served in 13 RIR (16273).  KIA in France on the 10.5.16, he is buried in Authuile Military Cemetery, France, row G, grave 10.  There is no headstone inscription.

BRYSON, Lance Corporal Samuel.  Born and living in Dromara, Co. Down, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR (6633), with which he embarked from Bordon Camp for France in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.

BUCHANAN, Private Richard, M.M.    Born in Drumbeg, he lived in Lisburn and Belfast, enlisted at Newtownards and served originally in the RASC (T/32714) before being transferred to 1/6 NSR 50545.  Awarded the M.M. for “conspicuous service in action”, he was KIA in France on the 2.5.18.  Buried in Beuvry Communal Extension, Pas de Calais, France, plot 2, row C, grave 4, he was the husband of Cissie and father of Florence May Buchanan of Sandy Lane, Lambeg, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.  An In Memoriam notice in the Herald for the 3 May 1919 read, “You never shunned your country’s call, But gladly gave your life – your all; You died the helpless to defend, A British soldier to the end.  Sadly mourned by his wife and little child”.

BUCKLEY, Corporal Joseph S.    Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted in 1912 at Armagh when he was 16 and served in 2 RIrF (11055).  He had been at the front since the start of the war and was involved in the retreat from Mons during which he was wounded and for a time reported MIA.  Wounded again on the knee by shrapnel at Armentieres, he was hospitalised for a short time before going home to Lisburn on leave for a few days at Christmas 1914.  This time was spent with his mother and brothers.  Slightly wounded for a third time by shrapnel to the head on March 18, he was hit again by shrapnel on the 10 May and only lived for about an hour after reaching a field hospital.  He DoW at Hooge in Belgium on the 10.5.15 aged 19 and his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium, panel 40.  His family, in which he was the third son, lived on the Belsize Road, Lisburn and had a strong military tradition.  His father the late Sergeant Major Richard Buckley had served for eighteen years with the Lancashire Fusiliers mostly in India.  On retiring from the army he had become manager for Samuel F. McConnell, solicitor of Lisburn.  He had died about 1905.  His (Joseph’s) maternal grandfather, William John May was also a soldier.  He had served through the Crimea War and Indian Mutiny and had died at Lisburn in about 1912.  One of his brothers, John Buckley, who before the war he had been on the staff of the Director of Works, served in the Dardanelles from August 1915 but was invalided home by hospital ship on the 25 November.

BURKE, Sergeant Frederick George.    Born in Tullynacross, Co. Down, he lived at Lambeg, Co. Antrim.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in 11 RIR (14137), embarking with them for France from Bordon as a lance sergeant in October 1915.  Listed as wounded and missing and subsequently, in May or June 1917, confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 23, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  He was the second son of Mr. and Mrs. George Burke, 2 Grafton Crescent, Hilden, Lisburn, Co. Antrim and brother of Percy Burke, below.  A third brother Private Ivan Burke was wounded and in October 1918 was in Netley Hospital in England.

BURKE, Corporal Percy.  Born in Lambeg, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 2 RIR (5261).  Having served in “France” since September 1914, he was KIA in Belgium on the 6.9.18 aged 22, his death is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium, panel 9.  He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Burke of 2 Grafton Crescent, Hilden, Lisburn, Co. Antrim and brother of Frederick George Burke, above.  A third brother Private Ivan Burke was wounded and, in October 1918, was in Netley Hospital in England.

BURNS, Corporal Frank.  Born in Lisburn, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RInF (9402).  He DoW received at Gallipoli on the 7.6.15 and is buried in Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt, row M, grave 123.

BURNS, Rifleman William.  Born in Derriaghy, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RIR (1248).  KIA in Belgium on the 8.8.17 aged 26, his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium, panel 40.  He was the son of William Burns of “Willowbank”, Knockbreda Road, Cregagh, Belfast.

BURTON, Private James.  Born in and enlisted at Lisburn, Co. Antrim, he served in 6 RIrF (12489).  Wounded at Gallipoli, he died at sea on the 9.8.15.  His death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 177-8.

BURTON, Rifleman R.  Served in the 18 London Irish Rifles (602353).  Wounded in “France” on the 7 September 1917, he died of sickness on the 10.4.21 aged 21 and is buried in Lisburn Cemetery, new section, plot E, grave 238.  The headstone inscription reads, “Thy will be done”.  He was the son of Robert and Mary Burton of 91 Longstone Street, Lisburn.  His brother Rifleman W. Burton was reported to be suffering from “fever” in Salonica in October 1917.  He appears to have survived. 

 

BURTON, Private Robert.    Born in Drumbo, Co. Down, he lived and enlisted at Belfast, served originally in R1R (686) and subsequently transferring to 10 KOSB (47098).  KIA in France on the 12.10.18, he is buried in Erquinghem-Lys Churchyard Extension, Nord, France plot 3, row G, grave 1.

 

BUSHE, Rifleman Samuel.  Born in Glenavy, Co. Antrim, he lived in Crumlin and Belfast, enlisted at Clandeboye, and served in D Company 11 RIR (4796).  Listed as missing and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 36, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.  The son of the late Mrs. Ellen Ferris, his wife Emily Bushe lived at 20 Helen Street, Crumlin.

CAIRNS, Private Alex.    Born in Lisburn on the 3.5.1892.  A single man and barber by profession, he enlisted at Valcartier in Canada on the 22.9.1914 aged 22 years and 4 months having had no previous military experience.  He was 5’ 6¾” tall, and had a 35” chest (fully expanded) with a 2½” expansion.  He had a dark complexion with brown eyes and dark brown hair and had a scar under his right ear. He served in 4^th battalion CEF, 1st. COR (10635) and DoW in hospital on the 30.4.15 aged 22 (three days before his 23rd. birthday) from wounds received near Ypres.  Buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, France, plot 8, row B, grave 16, he was the fourth son of James and Mrs. D Cairns of 2 Ava Street, Lisburn.

CAIRNS, Corporal Edward.  Born in Derriaghy, he lived in Mosside, Dunmurry, was a member of Mosside LOL 136, of Derriaghy Band and of the South Antrim Battalion of the UVF.  Having enlisted at Lisburn he served in 11 RIR (17391), and embarked with them for France from Bordon in October 1915 along with his brothers Samuel and Thomas Cairns.  Listed as missing and subsequently, in May or June 1917, as KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, he is buried in Mill Road, Cemetery, France, plot 14, row E, grave 8.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of Mrs. Cairns a widow, of Mosside, Dunmurry and brother of Thomas James Cairns, below.  Samuel Cairns who also served in 11 RIR appears to have survived the war.

CAIRNS, Rifleman James.    Enlisting at Lisburn he served in 11 RIR (18/312) or 12 RIR (312).  Reported wounded in late September, early October 1916, he was KIA in France on the 21.9.17, and is buried in Metz-en-Couture Communal Cemetery, British Extension, France, plot 2, row C, grave 20.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the second son of William John Cairns of 127 Gregg Street, Lisburn and husband of Hannah Cairns of 10 Ballynahinch Road, Lisburn.  They had a child.  On the 6.10.17 his wife included the following poem in the Herald along with his death notice.  “He fought for home and those he loved, And for his country’s right; Until we meet in heaven above, My dearest one good night”.  Two of his brothers also saw active service.  Rifleman William Cairns, below, who was KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 and Robert Cairns who served with 13 RIR.  In August or early September 1917 he was in North Hampshire War Hospital recovering from wounds.  He seems to have survived the war.

CAIRNS, Lance Corporal Robert.  Born in Dunmurry, Co. Antrim, he lived in Dunacloney Co. Down, enlisted at Banbridge and served in 13 RIR (113).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France Pier and Face 15 A and 15 B.

CAIRNS, Sergeant Thomas James.  Born in Derriaghy, Co. Antrim, he lived in Dunmurry, was secretary of Sommerhill LOL 137, a member of Derriaghy Band and of the South Antrim Battalion of the UVF.  He enlisted at Lisburn in 11 RIR (17389) and embarked with them for France from Bordon in October 1915 along with his brothers Samuel and Thomas Cairns.  Listed as missing and subsequently, in May or June 1917, as KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15A/B.  He was the son of Mrs. Cairns, a widow, of Mosside, Dunmurry and brother of Edward Cairns, above.  Samuel Cairns who also served in 11 RIR appears to have survived the war.

CAIRNS, Rifleman William (Willie).  Born in Lambeg, Co. Antrim, and a member of LOL 712, he enlisted at Lisburn shortly after the outbreak of the war and served in 13 RIR (2218).  Reported as wounded in August 1916 and missing in late October or early November 1916, he was subsequently, in September 1917, confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15A/B.  He was the third or fourth son of William J. Cairns of 127 Gregg Street, Lisburn.  On the 22 September 1917 his parents had the following poem included along with a death notice in the Herald.  “The stroke was great, the blow severe, To part with one we loved so dear; It was God’s will it should be so, At his command we all must go”.  His sister and brother-in-law Emily and Jack Connolly, also of 127 Gregg Street, Lisburn, inserted the following in the same issue.  “Our hearts were sore at parting, From him we loved so well; But we know his soul has gone to join, The Redeemed in Heaven to dwell”.  Jack Connolly was also on active service as were two of William Cairn’s brothers.  One, Rm. James Cairns, above was KIA in France on the 21.9.17.  The other, Robert Cairns who served with 13 RIR, was in North Hampshire War Hospital in August or early September 1917, recovering from wounds.  Both he and Jack Connolly seem to have survived the war.

CALVERT, Rifleman Alexander.  Born in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 17 RIR (305).  He died at home on the 30.5.15 and is buried in Belfast City Cemetery, plot F, grave 705.

CAMPBELL, CSM James.  Born in Blaris, Co. Antrim, he lived at Portadown, enlisted in Belfast and served in 7 RIR (4842).  KIA in Belgium on the 9.8.17, his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium, panel 40.

CAMPBELL, Lieutenant/Captain John.  From Belfast, he served in the ELR and was KIA on the 1 or 2.7.16.  His death is commemorated on Sloan Street, Presbyterian Church and possibly Hilden War Memorial, but there is no positive trace so far.

CAMPBELL, Lance corporal John.  Born in Lisburn, he lived and enlisted at Ilford, Essex and served in 2 RBR (38220).  Reported missing, believed dead and subsequently DoW in France on the 6.4.18, his death is commemorated on the Croix-Molignaux German Cemetery Memorial, Ham British Cemetery, Muille-Villette, France.

CAMPBELL, Rifleman Joseph.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in A Company 8 RIR (12229).  KIA on the Somme on the 2.7.16 aged 50, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, face A/B.  He was the son of William Campbell and husband of Martha Campbell.

CAMPBELL, Private William.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Mossend, Glasgow.  He enlisted at Hamilton, Lanarkshire and served in 1 CH (17401) and died at home on the 1.10.17 aged 28.  Buried in Bothwell (Bellshill) Cemetery, Lanarkshire, Scotland, row A, grave 617, he was the husband of Margaret Campbell of 28 Beechwood Gardens, Calder Road, Mossend.

CAREY, Rifleman, Sylvester.  Born in Widnes, Lancashire, he had served in the Boer War.  He lived and enlisted in St. Helens, Lancashire and served in 1 RB (6178).  KIA in France on the 26.8.14 age 50, he is buried in Beauvois-En-Cambresis Communal Cemetery, Nord, France, on the east side.  He was the son of John J. and Catherine Carey of St. Helens, Lancashire and husband of Jane Carey of Sandy Lane, Lambeg, Co. Antrim.  In August 1914 the girls’ school in Beauvois-en-Cambresis where he is buried was used by the Germans to accommodate British wounded.

CATHCART, Sergeant David.  Born in Belfast, possibly at Ballysillan, he lived at 87 Ballynahinch Road, Lisburn.  A member of Lisburn Conservative Flute Band and Lisburn Mechanics LOL 557, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR (17424), possibly embarking with them from Bordon Camp for France as a corporal in October 1915.  KIA in Belgium on the 1.9.16 aged 24, he had just returned to the front having been in Lisburn a few weeks previously with a recruiting party.  His death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium, panel 40.  The son of James and Sarah Cathcart of 87 Ballynahinch Road, Lisburn, Co. Antrim, a spinning master at the Island Mill, Lisburn, he was the six member of the Conservative flute Band to be killed in the war.  Two sisters and their husbands, Maggie and Joseph Brown and M. and W. Spence lived on the Hillhall Road, the Browns at number 14.  A brother and sister-in-law, W.S. and M. Cathcart lived at 824 Crumlin Road, Belfast.  On the 1 September 1917 a year to the day after his death his family included In Memoriam notices in the Herald.

CATHCART, Rifleman Robert.    Born and living in Lisburn Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 8 RIR (259).  KIA in France on the 23.11.17 aged 18, his death is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial, Louverval Military Cemetery, France.  He was the son of Thomas Cathcart of 3 Longstone Street, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.

CATHCART, Lance corporal Thomas Jnr.    Born at Blaris and resident in Lisburn, before the war he worked for William Barbour and Sons and was a member of the UVF.  He enlisted at Lisburn and served in D Company 11 RIR (2558), embarking as a rifleman for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and Face 15A/B.  His father and brother were also in 11 RIR and he had two uncles “serving in the colours.”  Nephew of Miss A. Nelson of 62 Chapel Hill, Lisburn.

CHAMBERS, Rifleman James.  Born and living in Lisburn where he enlisted, he served in 11 RIR (17428) and embarked with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Listed as missing on the 16 July 1916 and eventually, a year later in July 1917 confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and Face 15A/B.  He was the only surviving son of Samuel Chambers of 3 Market Street Lisburn.  He, Samuel Chambers, having received no word from his son, had written to Captain Deverell the adjutant of 11 RIR asking for any news.  The reply he received on the 19 July stated that there was a possibility that his son may have been taken prisoner but cautioning against holding out too much hope.

CHAMBERS, Rifleman Joseph.    Born in Banbridge, Co. Down, he lived on the Stewartstown Road, Dunmurry.  Enlisting at Belfast he served in 11 RIR (609) and DoW in France, according to the CWGC on the 23.12.16 at the age of 26.  However, according to Aaron Chambers, Joseph Chambers nephew, his great uncle was 19 when he was killed and underage when he enlisted with three of his mates in 1914.  They, his mates, all survived and it appears that one of them brought back a lock of his great uncle’s hair and three tunic buttons which are still (July 2007) in his possession.  The version of events told to the family was that he was killed by Germans firing from a position concealed by the body or hide of a cow and that he sustained multiple gunshot wounds.  Also Aaron Chambers has an Army document which gives the date of death as the 21.12.16 rather than the 23^rd.  The son of Joseph and Mary Chambers of Stewartstown Road, Dunmurry, Co. Antrim, Joseph Chambers was buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, France, (close to the Franco-Belgium frontier) plot 3, row A,  grave 157.  The headstone inscription reads, “We think of you in silence no eyes may see us weep”.

CHAMBERS, Private William C or G.  Born in Salford, Manchester, he lived at Drumlough? Hillsborough, enlisted at Belfast and served in 11 RInF (13411).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 4, face D, or pier 5 face B

CHAPMAN, Rifleman Edward.  Born in Aghalee or Megaberry, Moira, he enlisted at Lisburn, Co. Antrim and served in C Company 12 RIR (6459).  He died on the Somme on the 17.5.18 age 19 and is buried in Roye New British Cemetery, Somme, France, plot 2, row B grave 17.  His parents Joseph and Susan Chapman lived at 722 Mulvey Avenue, Fort Rouge, Winnipeg, Canada.

 

CHAPMAN, Private George. Born in Belfast on the 12.6.1887, he lived in Canada and enlisted in the Canadian army at Windsor, Ontario on the 12.6.17, his thirtieth birthday.  A single man, he was a labourer by trade and had no previous military experience.  He was 5’8” tall, had a fair complexion, with blue eyes and brown hair.  His chest measured 40” fully expanded with a 4” range of expansion.  He served in 1 CI, WOR (2448412) and was KIA in France on the 30.8.18 age 31.  He is buried in Sun Quarry Cemetery, Cherisy, France, row E, grave 5 and was the son of Mrs. Prudence Chapman of Corcreeny, Hillsborough, Co. Down.

CHAPMAN  Rifleman Nicholas.  Born in Shankill, Co. Antrim, he lived in Dromara, Co. Down, enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RIR (10170).  Taken prisoner but subsequently released into Swiss custody, he died in Switzerland on the 10.5.18 and is buried in grave 13 in St. Martin’s Cemetery, Vevey which is on the northern shore of Lake Leman (also known as Lake Constance), close to the eastern end.  In 1916 agreements were made between the Swiss Government and the French, British and German Governments under which a number of wounded PoWs were interned in Switzerland.  The first British prisoners arrived there at the end of May 1916 and the average number under treatment during the remainder of the war was 2,000.  Of these, 61 died before repatriation.

CHAPMAN, Rifleman William J.  Born in Broomhedge, Co. Antrim, he lived in Moira and 8 Ballynahinch Road, Lisburn.  A member of the UVF, he enlisting in Lisburn and serving in 11 RIR (2234).  He embarked with his battalion for France from Bordon in October 1915 and may have been wounded in June or early July 1916 and again in September 1916.  He died at a CCS in France from wounds received at Messines in Belgium on the 3.6.17 aged 26, and is buried in plot 3, row B, grave 217 in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, France, (very close to the Franco-Belgian border).  The headstone inscription reads, “Thy will be done.  Ever remembered by his wife and child.  M. Chapman, Lisburn”.  He was the husband of Martha Chapman of 8 Ballynahinch Road, Lisburn whom he had married after joining up.  They had a young daughter.  His father John Chapman’s address was Moyrusk.  His brother James Chapman who lived with their mother in Longstone Street and Cousin Joseph Chapman from Smithfield, also served.  Both were wounded in June or early July 1916.

CHERRY, Sergeant James Alexander (Jim).  Born at Bow Street, Lisburn on the 12 January 1892 he lived in the town for a time and was a member of the Christ Church Company of the CLB. He later managed a chemists shop for a Mr. Parker in Enniskillen where he had been living for a number of years before the War although he also had a Lisburn address.  A member of the local battalion of the UVF, he enlisted in Enniskillen in 11 RInF (14039) shortly after the outbreak of hostilities, embarking for France in October 1915.  Seriously wounded on the Somme, on the 1^st. July 1916 (by which time he held the rank of corporal), he recovered in hospital in Birmingham but was subsequently KIA in Belgium on the 16 August 1917 aged 25.  According to a report of his death received by his parents from Captain Alexander Spence, the Church of Ireland chaplain, “he was struck by shrapnel and killed instantaneously while gallantly advancing in the face of intense shell and machinegun fire.”  His death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 70-72.  He was the only son of James and Agnes Cherry (nee Topping, from Broomhedge) of 79 Bow Street, Lisburn and Violet Vale, Dublin Road, Lisburn who had been married at Christchurch, Lisburn on 16 May 1877.  Just over forty years later on the 1 September 1917 they inserted the following poem in the Herald along with their son’s death notice.  “Taken aside by Jesus, With a sorrowful heart to-day; But I heard Him sigh in a desert place, And I heard my beloved say: It is I and I know the pain, It is I and I know thy loss, It is I and I know the eternal gain, It is I who endured the Cross”.  At the time he joined up Jim Cherry was asked whether his parents approved of him giving up his job to enlist, to which he replied, “I don’t think my parents would desire me to be a coward”.  His father who had been in business in Lisburn for over 40 years “first as a merchant taylor, subsequently … [in] drapery”, was much affected by his son’s death.  He died “of a broken heart” on the 18 May 1919 having, “been in indifferent health of late, and never really put[ting] any heart into anything since the death of his only son”.  James Cherry senior was interred in the family burial ground at Blaris on the 20 May.  He was survived by his wife and five daughters.  However, Agnes Cherry’s suffering was not over.  Shortly after her husband’s death one of their daughters died.  Then in late August 1920 “she and two of her daughters had to be, “bundled out of their shop and home in Bow Street, Lisburn… to prevent them from burning to death”.  Agnes Cherry lived on at Violet Vale, Dublin Road, Lisburn and died on the 27 May 1935 aged 78.

CHERRY, Private Joseph.  Born in Humbertstown or Hannaghstown, Co. Antrim probably in 1899, before the war he had worked for George Wilson of Smithfield, Lisburn.  He volunteered in September 1915 when he was in all lightlihood only 16 years old, enlisting in Lisburn and serving originally in the RDF (23525), before being transferred to 7 RIrR (26258).  Slightly wounded in September 1918 he was KIA in Belgium two months later on the 14.10.18 age 19.  Writing to his mother, Lieutenant Leslie Johnston informed her that he had been, “shot through the head by a sniper’s bullet, and death was absolutely instantaneous.  We had just won a position during which your son behaved with great gallantry, keeping up a very heavy fire with his machine gun which was of the greatest assistance to his comrades”.  Joseph Cherry is buried in Hooge Crater Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium, plot 17, row H, grave 10.  He was the only son of Mrs. Agnes Cherry nee Hamill of 1 Antrim Place, Lisburn, Co. Antrim and probably of Joseph Cherry.  They had been married on the 2 May 1893.

CLARKE, Private Adam.    Born in Dunmurry, he lived in Milfort Avenue, Dunmurry, enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RInF (28081).  He DoW on the Somme on the 28.6.16 age 35 and is buried in Forceville Communal Cemetery and Extension, Somme, France, plot 2, row A, grave 15 next to David Boyd, above.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of William and Annie Clarke of Dunmurry.

 

CLARKE, Rifleman Alfred James.  Born in Lisburn where he lived on the belsize Road, he enlisted in Lisburn and served in 11 RIR (17436), embarking with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Wounded in August 1917, he was treated in hospital in Oxford.  Subsequently transferred to 11/13 RIR and attached to 22 entrenching battalion, he was KIA on the Somme on the 29.3.18 aged 27.  His death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France, panels 74-76.  He was the son of James and Marianne Clarke of Belsize Road, Lisburn.

CLARKE, Private Joseph.  Born in Tanmecanally, Rockcorry, Co. Monaghan about 1888, he was educated at Dartrey N.S., Rockcorry.  Although he had no other training, he served in the RIC in Lisburn, before emigrated to Australia, probably landing at Liverpool, N.S.W. in about 1913.  Employed as a signalman on the railway, he may have lived at Abermain although in the Australian War Memorial records he was “chiefly associated with” Newcastle and the address he gave to the military authorities was, “c/o Stationmaster, Newcastle, N.S.W”.  Enlisting in the Australian army on the 12.6.15, he had no previous military experience, was 6’ and ½” tall, weighed 182 lbs, had a 35½” to 39” chest, dark complexion, grey eyes and dark hair.  Posted on the 1.7.15 to the 17 AI, A.I.F (1903) at Liverpool, N.S.W., he embarking from Sydney on the 9.8.15 aboard the H.M.A.T. “Runic”, arriving in Gallipoli with the second Australian contingent on the 12.10.15.  Wounded in the right hand shortly before or during the early stages of the evacuation, he was admitted to hospital on Murdros on the 19.12.15.  Four days later he was transferred to Alexandria on the “Dunluce Castle” arriving there two days before Christmas, and was sent to No. 1 Auxillary Hospital at Heliopolis.  Discharged on the 28 December, he returned to duty at Tel-el-Keb on the 19 January 1916.  Three months later on the 17.3.16, he embarked at Alexandria for France, landing at Marsailles on the 23.3.16.   KIA in France on the 6.6.16 age 28, he was buried the following day by the Rev. E.C. Single of the 20^th Battalion A.I.F. in Brewery Orchard Cemetery, Bois-Grenier, Nord, France, plot 4, row D, grave 1.  Bois-Grenier is a village 4 kilometres south of Armentieres, and Brewery Orchard Cemetery is so called because the cellar of the brewery in the village was used as a dressing station and the cemetery was started in the orchard nearby.  It was sheltered from enemy observation by ruined houses and continued to be used from November 1914 until January 1918.  Joseph Clarke was the son of Hugh and Elizabeth Jane Clarke of Tanmecanally, Rockcorry, Co. Monaghan.  A claim by his mother for a pension was rejected by the authorities on the grounds that she had not been dependent on her son for the fifteen months prior to his enlistment.  Two of his brothers lived in Belfast, Thomas who served in the RIC and was stationed at Henry Street Barracks, and Fred who lived at 48 Nansen (Hansen?) Street.  The picture of Joseph Clarke in the Australian War Memorial comes from a composite photograph presented to the Abermain RSL by the ladies of the Abermain Comforts Fund.  It contains the pictures of the twenty five servicemen from Abermain who died during WW1.  On the 6 March 1917 his mother replied to the Kit Store of the AIF in London acknowledging receipt of package number 7486.  It contained some of his effects – a bible and 2 brushes.  A separate list of items including a disc, prayer book, letters, 2 pipes, a knife, testament, 4 keys on a chain and a purse had also been issued on the 11.7.16 but it is not clear whether or not these were ever received by her.

CLARKE, Sergeant J. William.    Born in Ballinderry, Co. Antrim, he lived in Crumlin Co. Antrim.  A member of the Orange Order in Glenavy, he enlisted at Antrim, possibly in 11 RIR, and served in D Company 12 RIR (19414).  He DoW in Belgium on the 12.4.18 age 40 and is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinghe, Belgium plot 26, row H, grave 2A.  The son of Thomas and Sarah Clarke of Crumlin, his wife Catherine Graham subsequently re-married and lived at 19 Malt Street, Grosvenor Road, Belfast.

CLARKE Private Robert Jefferson.  Born in Ireland on the 25.4.1883, he was employed on the clerical staff at William Barbours and Sons at Hilden.  Living in Winnipeg when the war broke out he enlisted there on the 8.9.15 age 32 years 4 months.  A clerk by profession, he had no previous military experience.  His medical report states that he was 5’9” tall had a fair complexion, blue eyes and red hair.  His chest measurement was 34” fully expanded with an extension of 4”.  It also mentions that he had a hernia and would be accepted into the army after an operation.  Posted to 61 CI (623181) he servd with 27 CI, MR (623181).  Home in Lisburn for a short leave in November 1915, he went to France in April 1916, was listed as missing and subsequently, in May 1917, reported KIA there on the 15.9.16 age 33.  His death is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial, France.  He was the husband of Elizabeth Clarke and eldest son of Joseph and Elizabeth Clarke, all of Magheralave Road, Lisburn.  He was also brother of Corporal William. J. Clarke, Sergeant Joseph (Joe) Clarke MM. and Quartermaster George Clarke.  William Clarke who was in the Liverpool Scottish, was reported missing in 1917 but subsequently, on the 25.1.18, reported wounded with a bullet through the thigh, and a PoW in Germany.  The news was received by his wife who lived in Liverpool.  Joseph Clarke, who probably served in the RIR (17444), was awarded the M.M. in July 1917 and was convalescing in the Co. Antrim Infirmary at the time of his brother’s death.  He was wounded again at Messines in June 1917 and for a third time in August 1917, on that occasion, being shot through the mouth and losing a number of teeth.  Quartermaster George Clarke served 11 RIR having embarked from Bordon Camp with them in October 1915.  All three of Robert Clarke’s brothers appear to have survived the war.  A sister, Mabel Clarke, worked as a VAD in Hilden Hospital and the UVF hospital in Belfast.

CLAY, Rifleman John (Jack).    Born and living in Lambeg, he enlisted in Lisburn at the start of the war and served in 11 RIR (6634), embarking for France from Bordon in October 1915.  He DoW on the Somme on the 28.3.16 aged 18.  According to the Rev. A. Gibson an Army Chaplain writing to the Rev. J.J.C. Breakey the minister of 1^st Lisburn Presbyterian Church, “I was urgently called upon to visit [Jack Clay] in the field hospital where I found him seriously wounded.  He was not suffering undue pain then but was in a very drowsy way.  He roused himself to talk to me. … He was very weak, but I was glad to be with him.  He told me that he came from Lambeg and that you were his minister.  I did not worry him with many questions.  I talked to him and had prayer with him.  He died very soon afterwards. … he seemed a very nice lad”.  The Rev. Gibson conducted Jack Clay’s burial service, “in a little cemetery some five miles or so behind the lines.  I have arranged,” he added, “that his grave be marked with his name etc. upon it”.  Jack Clay was buried in Forceville Communal Cemetery Extension, France, plot 1, row A, grave 6.  The Rev. Gibson appears to have been true to his word.  There is no inscription on the existing headstone but according to the CWGC register, there was one on the original wooden cross.  “Soldier rest, thy warfare o’er, sleep the sleep that knows no breaking, dream of fighting fields no more, day of toil and night of waiting.”  He was the son of Mary Clay and the late Thomas Clay of the Post Office, Lambeg, Lisburn, and brother of Thomas Clay, below.

Mrs. Clay also received letters of condolence from two of her son’s officers.  Captain Arthur Charley wrote, “Your son was always a smart, quiet hard working fellow … and his loss will be greatly felt, both from a military standpoint and also as a friend, as I know he was greatly liked by the other men in his platoon and company”.  Using similar language, Lieutenant F.R. Webb described him as, “one of those quiet, descent, willing young chaps who can be ill spared at the present time and we all feel his loss deeply.  I am sure though that you will find consolation in the fact that he died doing his duty”.  She appears as well to have been involved with the Hilden-Lambeg Work Society which provided comforts for soldiers.  The secretary had a notice included in the Standard on the 25.8.16 saying how difficult it was to keep track of men who were sick and wounded and asked relatives to forward addresses to Mrs. Clay at Lambeg Post Office.  She may also have had a baughter who helped in the work.  A Miss Clay of Lambeg is mentioned in the News Letter on the 4.7.16 as a contributor to comforts sent out to soldiers in 11 RIR in the first half of 1916.

CLAY, QMS Thomas.    Born in Lambeg, Co. Antrim, he lived in Lambeg or Lisburn.  A member of the Tyrone UVF, he enlisted at Omagh and served in the TMB in 9 RInF (11237).  KIA in Belgium on the 29.9.18 aged 27, he is buried in Birr Cross Roads Cemetery, Zillebeke, Belgium, plot 3, row D, grave 1.  The headstone inscription reads, “Until the day breaketh and the shadows flee away”.  He was the son of Mary Clay of the Post Office, Lambeg, Lisburn, and the late Thomas Clay, and brother of John Clay, above.  Captain C. W. Milne, writing to Mrs. Clay told her that “death was instantaneous” and that her son had not suffered any pain.  He went on, “Your son has been a very good soldier and a great favourite with everybody, and all his chums wish me to convey to you an expression of their sincere sympathy.  It will be of some comfort to you that he made the supreme sacrifice in the service of his country”.  Mary Clay appears as well to have been involved with the Hilden-Lambeg Work Society which provided comforts for soldiers.  The secretary had a notice included in the Standard on the 25.8.16 saying how difficult it was to keep track of men who were sick and wounded and asked relatives to forward addresses to her at Lambeg Post Office.  She may also have had a baughter who helped in the work.  A Miss Clay of Lambeg is mentioned in the News Letter on the 4.7.16 as a contributor to comforts sent out to soldiers in 11 RIR in the first half of 1916.

CLELAND, Rifleman George.    Born in and enlisted at Lisburn, Co. Antrim before the war he was employed in Robert Stewart and Sons mill.  An Orangeman and member of the Lisburn battalion of the UVF, he also played football for Roseville F.C.  Serving in A Company 11 RIR (17365), he embarked for France from Bordon Camp with 11 RIR in October 1915. and was KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 34.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  He was the husband of Letitia Cleland of 43 Church Street, Lisburn, Co. Antrim and they had three young children.  His brother was William Cleland, manager of the firm of Henry Major, wholesale spirit merchants of Market Square, Lisburn.

CLELAND, Private Richard.  Born in Moira, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 IG (740).  KIA in Belgium on the 1.11.14 age 37, he is buried in Oxford Road Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium, plot 2, row F, grave 3.  He was the son of Richard Cleland of Belfast and husband of Eliza Cleland of 115 Riga Street, Belfast.

CLEMENTS, Second Lieutenant William Hunter.  Educated at the Lisburn Intermediate School, he was employed in the Ulster Bank when the war broke out.  He enlisted in the RDF and took part in the landing at Sulva Bay and the fighting at Chocolate Hill in Gallipoli.  He was subsequently posted to Salonica before being recommended for a commission and sent home for training.  Commissioned into the 11 RInF he was KIA on the 16.8.17 age 24.  Buried in New Irish Farm Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium, plot 25, row F, grave 16.  He was the son of Andrew Clements, LL.D., and Margaret B. Clements of 28 Knutsford Drive, Cliftonville, Belfast and formerly of Annahilt, Lisburn, and nephew of James Hunter C.E. of Antrim Road, Lisburn.

 

CLENDINNING, Corporal Robert Alexander.  Served in 3 RIR 18890.  He died on the 11.11.20 age 45 and is buried in Dundrod Presbyterian Graveyard, grave 231.  He was the husband of Agnes Clendinning, Riverside, Glenavy, Lisburn who died on the 7.2.71 aged 99.  His son David Clendinning was killed during WW2 on the 5.7.40 aged 30 while serving on HMS Whirlpool.

CLIBBORN, Lieutenant John Barclay.   Born in Bentham, Yorkshire on 24.1.1887, he was an old scholar of Friends’ School, Lisburn.  A married man and broker by occupation he enlisted in the Canadian army at Medicine Hat, Alberta on the 25.5.15 age 28 years and 2 months.  He was 5’7” tall with a ruddy complexion, brown hair and brown eyes.  His chest was 37” fully expanded with a 3” expansion.  Before joining up he had been attached to the L[ight] Strathcona Horse for a course of instruction and held a commission in the 19th. Alberta Dragoons.  Overseas he was to serve in the 3rd. Batt., 1OR CMR.

By the beginning of September they were training at Shorncliffe on the outskirts of Folkstone being inspected by the King on the 2^nd of the month.  Then on the 19^th orders were received to move the following day.  On the morning of Monday 20th preparations were made for sending the transport and baggage forward and the first two parties totalling about 130 men left the camp in the evening to embark at Southampton.  The remaining 25 officers and 551 other ranks expected to follow the next day, but no orders were received so the time was spent cleaning up the camp, on parades and, more ominously, depositing wills with the quartermaster.  Orders to depart did come on the 22^nd and at 5.20 p.m. 447 men left Shorncliffe for Folkstone harbour; which had become the main embarkation point for soldiers leaving to fight in the trenches of France and Belgium.  (Over the course of the war hundreds of thousands of soldiers, including many Canadian troops, left from Folkestone, marching from the Town to the Harbour along the route now called the “Road of Remembrance”).  By 9 o’clock that evening they were in Boulogne.

After an overnight stop at camps in the town 3CMR entrained at 5.30 p.m. the following afternoon arriving in Bailleul in Belgium just before midnight.  The men were marched to the Grand Place and then billeted in the town.  Next day, the 24^th., temporary Regimental Offices were opened at 2 Rue du Musee before being shifted down the street to number 11 on the 25^th.  That day a group of 4 officers and 125 NCOs and men left for “frontier post duty” and the first group to leave Shorncliffe on the 20^th. arrived in Bailleul.  They were joined on the 26^th. by the second advanced party as well as “all regimental horses and transport”.  Clearly the idea of a more mobile form of warfare was still in someone’s mind.  The next day the battalion moved on once again and by the 28^th were at Kortepyp Huts about 1¾ km south west of Neuve Eglise.  They were about to go into the front line.

On each of the next four days (29 September to the 2 October) parties of about 60 men were sent up to the trenches for the first time, each returning the following day; one man was reported missing on the 30 September and two were wounded on the 1 October.  Meanwhile, the remainder of the unit were involved in “clean[ing] up of camp; horse lines [were] shifted, latrines cleaned, additional holes dug and old tin cans, refuse, garbage etc. buried”.

By the 3 October, the battalion was on the move again, this time a little further north firstly to Mount Kemmel and then on the 4^th to dugouts at Ridgewood 1½ miles east of Dickebusch and near to La Brasserie.  There they formed part of a mobile reserve under General Seeley.  The succeeding days were relatively quiet with pairs of officers taking it in turn to occupy an observation post.  On the 8^th it was the turn of Lieutenants Clibborn and Davies who “returned at 11.30 a.m. on account of haze”.  The following day the regiment were relieved by 19CEF and made their way to Aldershot Huts close to Kortepyp by way of Dickebusch, La Clytte, Locre and Dranoutre.  The 11 October was spent “cleaning up [the] camp and billets.  Ditches and drains [were] opened up and freed from refuse”.  A report from Brigade HQ on the 12 October noted that “no cameras or Kodaks [were] in [the] possession of any officer, NCO or man in [the] regiment”. However, an inspection by General Alderson resulted in some criticism as some men were unshaved, the absence of entrenching tools and the state of saddelry and harness and of the transport horses.  On top of that the following morning (the 14 October) at parade it was found that 108080 Pte. Barber was missing.

After a general clean up of the camp, the regiment was then sent back to billets near Bailleul with HQ being established at St. Eloi estaminet on the edge of the town on the road leading towards Armentieres.  For the remainder of the month and well into November, the regiment were continually involved in the provision of working parties with 108648 Harvey Russel Young being the units next casualty when he was wounded on the 30 October.  As for the absent Gilbert Barber, he “reported back from missing” on the 19^th.

Five days later on the 24 November 3CMR made the 2½ hour march to Bulford south west of Neuve Eglise roughly mid way between Aldershot and Kortepyp Huts close to where they had been before, and spent the next day tidying the camp up.  The following day, the 26 November, two officers Clibborn and Davies and 4 NCOs moved out to take over trenches 134 and 135.  At 4.30 p.m. a telephone message was received that Lt. Clibborn had been killed.  “The party”, the battalion War Diary records, “came under HE shell fire near Court Dreve.  Lt. Clibborn was struck in the head by a piece of shell and died without regaining consciousness”.  The same shell struck 108400 (Alexander Morrison) who was cleared to Romarin by No. 3 Field Ambulance”. John Clibborn may have made the same journey shortly before he died; the record of admissions to 3 Canadian Field Ambulance shows that the unit treated one wounded Canadian officer that day.  In any event he was buried in Maple Leaf Cemetery, Romarin, Neuve-Eglise, Belgium, row A, grave 6.  He was 28 years old.  His headstone inscription reads, “St. John 15-13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends”.

John Clibborn was the husband of Catherine L. Clibborn of 11407 100th. Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, son of Alfred E. and Mrs. Clibborn of Crawford Bay, British Columbia, formerly of Ury, Clara, Kings County and nephew of Miss Clibborn of 14 Carlisle Avenue, Donnybrook.

CLOSE, Private William.  Born in Shankill, Co. Antrim, he lived in Lisburn.  A member of the UVF before the war, he enlisted at Finner Camp, Co. Donegal and served in 9 RInF (14506).  KIA on the Somme on the 8.5.16 he is buried in Authuile Military Cemetery, France, row D, grave 41.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of Jemima Close of Ballymacash, Lisburn.

COATES, Lance corporal William.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RIR (9176).  KIA in Belgium on the 9.5.15, his death is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium.

COBURN, Rifleman James.    Born in Lisburn, he lived at 3 Wilson Street on the Low Road in the town where he and his two brothers John and David were members of Lisburn Temperence Silver band.  He enlisted at Lisburn along with his brother John when, according to the Standard he was “still not 17” years old.  Posted to A Co. 11 RIR , they embarked with their battalion for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Wounded on the Somme on the 1.7.16, again in September 1916 (probably in the gas attack in which 11 RIR were involved on the 1.9.16) and for a third time in June 1917, he transferred to 12 RIR 2167 when 11 RIR were disbanded in late 1917.  Captured around the 27 March 1918 on the sixth day of the German offensive, he seems to have been held for a time at Limberg in Germany.  Another prisoner there at the time was Herbert McComiskey before the war, an employee of Beechpark Dairy, who had also served as a Rifleman in 11 RIR.  Posted missing in March 1918 he (McComiskey) sent a letter to his parents who lived in Market Square, saying that he had been taken prisoner on the 27 March and, “I am getting along all right so far.  I cannot complain, and we are getting plenty to eat.  There is a young chap called Coburn of the Low Road, with me.  He is the only one I know here”.  Coburn too wrote home and the letter, received by his mother on the 9 May 1918, letting her know that he was all right, “expressed the hope that his brother John had come through safely”. He had.  Five months later, however, on the 14.10.18, James Coburn still a PoW but now at War Hospital 10, Namur, died from pneumonia.  He was 18 years old.  Buried in Belgrade Cemetery, Namur, Belgium, plot 4, row C, grave 11, he was the son of David and Emma Coburn of 3 Wilson Street, Lisburn. James Coburn’s other brother, David who also served as a Rifleman, and Herbert McComiskey both appear to have survived the War.   Why James Coburn died in Namur when he was in prison in Limberg shortly after his capture is not clear.  Nor too is his age.  If the CWGC records are correct and he was 18 when he died in 1918 then he could have been as young as 14 when he enlisted.  His death as a PoW is recorded on the family headstone in Lisburn Cemetery.  David Coburn Snr. died in 1928 and Emma Coburn in 1947.

COBURN, Rifleman Robert.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he lived in Belfast, enlisted at Ballykinlar, Co. Down and served in 2 RIR (3904).  KIA in Belgium on the 19.1.16, he is buried in Tancrez Farm Cemetery, Belgium, plot 1, row G, grave 2.  There is no headstone inscription.

 

COCHRANE, Rifleman George.  Born and living in Ballyaughlis, Co. Down, he enlisted at Lisburn, and served in 11 RIR, embarking with them from Bordon Camp for France in October 1915.  Subsequently transferred to 12 RIR (2561) when 11 RIR were disbanded, he was reported missing and subsequently, in August/September 1918, KIA in France on the 22.11.17.  His death is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial, Louverval, Nord, France Panel 10.  He was the eldest son of Agnes Cochrane of Ballyaughlis, Lisburn.  His step father was also on active service.

 

COLDWELL, Guardsman Christopher John.  He had an address in Biscathorpe, Lincoln, but was a police constable in the RIC in Lisburn.  He and four other constables (George Bell, William Cunningham, P. Shields and William Stewart) left Lisburn on the 29 December 1914 to enlist in the Irish Guards.  “Large crowds” assembled to see them off, and each was presented with a box of cigarettes before they left.  Marching from Smithfield barracks, they were escorted by a guard of honour made up of men from 11 RIR.  According to the Standard, “the constables went direct to London” although the WOCL records that Coldwell enlisted in Dublin.  Serving in 1 IG (6278), he was KIA in France on the 12.10.15 age 26, and is buried in Loos British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, plot 15, row A, grave 13.  He was the son of the late Rev. and Mrs. G. H. H. Coldwell of Biscathorpe Rectory, near Louth, Lincs.  Of the five constables who left Lisburn that afternoon late in December 1914, at least three, Bell (above), Coldwell and Cunningham (below), were to die before the war was over.  Shields appears to have survived, and Stewart may have done so as well, although his fate is less certain.  A Guardsman William Stewart who was born in Hamilton Lanark, enlisted in West Calder, Midlothian and served in 2 IG (7365), DoW in France on the 15.11.15 aged 27.  Buried in Longuenesse (St. Omer) Souvenir Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, plot, 3, row A, grave 12, he was the husband of Janet Stewart of 22 Blantyre Terrace, Edinburgh.

COLLINS, Private David McC.  Born in Belfast, he enlisted at Perth and served in 6 BW (Perthshire Territorial Battalion) (265756).  KIA in France on the 17.5.17 age 20, he is buried just north east of Arras in Bailleul Road East Cemetery, St. Laurent-Blangy, Pas de Calais, France, plot 2, row F, grave 35.  He was the son of Mr. R. and Mrs. J.A. Collins of “Maryburn”, Andersontown, Belfast.

 

CONLON, Private Benjamin.  Born in Co. Tyrone on the 22.11.1888 he emigrated to Canada, “a few” years before the war.  A single man and stable groom by trade, he was in the 48^th. Highlanders (Malitia) but had not seen any military service.  He enlisted at Niagara on the 15.6.15 aged 26½.  He was 5’ 8½“ tall with a 36” chest and 4” expansion.  Of “medium” complexion, he had blue eyes and dark brown hair.  He served in the 58 CI CoR CEF (405610) and was KIA in France between the 19 and 22.9.16 aged 27.  He was the brother of Mary Conlon and Mrs. George Wilson of 11 Smithfield, Lisburn and youngest son of the late John Conlon of Ennish, Castlecaufield, Co. Tyrone.  In a letter to his sister in Lisburn, Lieutenant King Eager wrote, “Console yourself with the thought that your brother gave his life for King and Country, and will receive his reward in another and better world”.  Writing on the 27 September, Captain and Chaplain C.K. Masters said, “Your brother was killed while our battalion was taking part in the great advance. … He was buried on the field of battle, and we were able to give him a Christian burial.  I hope it may be some comfort to you to know that in making the supreme sacrifice he proved himself a brave soldier and a true man”.  Benjamin Conlon’s grave was subsequently lost and his death is now commemorated on the Vimy memorial, France.

CONNOR, Rifleman George Parkinson.    Born in Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 8 RIR (17/837).  KIA in France on the 8.1.16 aged 23, he is buried at Auchonvillers Military Cemetery, France, plot 2, row A, grave 29.  The headstone inscription gives his parents details.  “Son of Joseph and Eleanor Connor of Brookfield, Moira, Co. Down, N. Ireland.”  They were both teachers at Brookfield National School.  Three other brothers also served. John the eldest, who had been in Malta, Crete and Tientsien in Northern China had by October 1915 been at the front for a year with 2 RInF.  He was wounded in August 1917 and possibly again in September or October that year.  Samuel and Joseph were both with the YCVs (14 RIR).  Joseph too was wounded in the Autumn of 1917.  He and John both lived at Brookfield.  All three brothers appear to have survived the war.

COOKE, Private Frederick St. George.  Born in Carrigallen, Co. Leitrim, he lived at Bachelor’s Walk in Lisburn.  A Mason and member of the UVF in Whitehead, he enlisted at Belfast and served in the Dragoons of the Line, NIH (2182) before transferring to 9 RIrF (41694).  KIA in Belgium on the 19.4.18, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panel 140-1.  He was the eldest son of the late Mr. Francis Cooke of Gortmore House, Corrigallen, Co. Leitrim and husband of Jeannie C Cooke of 18 Bachelors Walk, Lisburn and subsequently of “Norton”, 6 Hawthorden Road, Knock, Belfast.

 

COPE, Rifleman George.  Born at Lisburn, he lived in Belfast, enlisted at Lurgan and served in 16 RIR (438).  KIA in Belgium on the 31.1.17 aged 19, he is buried in Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery, Belgium, plot 5, row F, grave 7.  The headstone inscription reads, “Oh for the touch of a vanished hand and the sound of a voice that is still”.  He was the son of James and Mary Elizabeth Cope of 60 Skipton Street, Belfast.

CORDNER, Rifleman George.    Born in Lisburn where he lived at Gregg Street, he enlisting in the town and served in 11 RIR (17478) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Wounded in September 1916, he recovered and came home on ten days leave in February 1917.  This ended on the 15^th when he left his mother’s house at 19 Gregg Street, Lisburn to catch the Fleetwood steamer at Belfast.  Accompanied by his brother James, they stopping off for a drink in a pub opposite the GNR station in Belfast before making their way to the boat where George Cordner left off his kit.  Coming ashore again, the brothers then went to a pub in Queens Square to have another drink.  At about 8.15 in the evening they were on their way back to the ferry with some friends when “they saw a motor lorry on Donegall Quay proceeding towards them at a slow rate.  They all got safely over [except George] … who was a little behind the rest and was knocked down … the wheel of [the lorry] pass[ing] over his body”.  According to the evidence given by the driver at the inquest, George Cordner appeared to have “staggered backwards” as he passed in front of the lorry and, “the left mudguard struck him, knocking him down”.  Taken to a military hospital in Belfast he appears to have been conscious and was able to tell Dr. Howard Stevenson who examined him that, “he had been run over by a motor”.  Stevenson described him as being “in a state of collapse … cold and practically pulseless”.  As well as having a scalp wound he had a ragged wound on his left side that had probably been caused by a broken bottle which “was found in deceased’s possession”.  George Cordner died at 2 a.m. the following morning, Thursday the 16.2.17, he was 37 years old.  The jury at the inquest which was held at Victoria Barracks, Belfast on the 20 February, recorded a verdict of accidental death due to “shock, following haemorrhage”.  He was buried with full military honours at Lisburn Cemetery, on Sunday the 18 February in Old Section, row C, grave 220.  There is no headstone inscription.  The funeral, according to the Standard, was “the largest (with one exception) we ever saw in Lisburn”.  He was the son of George and Annie Cordner of 19 Gregg Street, Lisburn.  Two of his brothers also saw active service.

CORDNER, Lieutenant James. M.C.  He had an address at Drumbo Manse where his brother was the Presbyterian minister and had spent some time in Canada before returning to Ireland to complete his training for the ministry.  Although still in the final year of his studies, he acted for a time as assistant minister in St. Enoch’s Presbyterian Church, Belfast and became a minister in the United Free Church in Lisburn.  “Volunteer[ing] for combat service” he receiving his commission through QUB OCT on the 7 June 1915 and was presented with a sword of honour by his congregation.  For a time at the end of 1915 and start of 1916, he did recruiting work while attached to 17 RIR (a reserve battalion), but left Ballykinlar for the front on the 9 February 1916.  Reported wounded in May 1916 following an incident in which “his shoulder straps were blown off and his uniform holed in six places by shell fragments, but beyond receiving bruises he was not otherwise injured”.

After recovering in a base hospital, he seems to have returned home for a period and on the 23 July 1916 preached at a service in Whitehead where he expressed the opinion that, “Ulster had done well but it could do better.  There were still young men at home to whom the war had not yet appealed.  They were still more concerned about the cut of their coats or colour of their ties, and they seemed to care little that the thunder of the guns was comparatively near their doors.”

Returning to the front, he was promoted to Lieutenant on the 1.7.17 and was wounded that summer “in the fighting [possibly Messines in early June or Langemarck in mid-August] … in which the Ulster Division took so prominent a part”.  Writing after his experiences at Messines he commented that, “It is just here that the war gives an opportunity to a man with a spiritual message to come to his own. … If anyone has a right to complain against the abuses and insincerities of public life, it is the men who are out here bearing the brunt of conditions which are largely the result of faults and failings not of their own; yet instead of regarding grumbling as their prime duty, they stiffen their backs for every burden, facing the unknown with a smile and greeting the unseen with a cheer”.

Possibly transferred to the Tank Corps on the 28 December 1917, he was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in the Battle of Cambrai.  He came home on leave at the beginning of March 1918, addressing the congregation of the United Free Church, Lisburn on the 3^rd and the following Thursday, the 7 March, was presented with his M.C. by the King at Buckingham Palace.  Returning to the front shortly after, he was KIA in Belgium on the 16.4.18 James Cordner is buried in Minty Farm Cemetery, Belgium, plot 2, row C, grave 2.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of James Cordner of Bannside, Portadown, and brother of Joseph Cordner, minister of Drumbo Presbyterian Church between 1911 and 1926 and thereafter in Canada and Clifton Street, Belfast.  There is an address to him in Drumbo Presbyterian Church, and he and his wife are buried in the church graveyard.  He died on the 27.5.39 and his wife on the 31.1.77 aged 100.  Another brother, Cassels Cordner was also a minister and in May 1916 was doing “temporary duty” for the Rev. McNutt at Hillhall.  One of the Revs. Cordner officiated at the marriage of Campbell McCormack (below) in September 1917.

 

CORDNER, Rifleman Samuel.   Served in 11 RIR and may have embarked with them from Bordon Camp for France in October 1915.  He is commemorated on Christ Church War Memorial but there is no positive trace so far.

CORKEN, Private Philip George.  He may have enlisted when he was underage, and served in Reserve Vehicle Park (N), Mechanical Transport Corps, RASC, (M2/080587).  He died in hospital in Calais on the 3.3.19 aged 19 and is buried in Les Baraques Military Cemetery, France, plot 8, row G, grave 15.  (According to Martin Middlebrooke, “Guide to the Somme”, p.’s 29-30, many German prisoners died from influenza here in 1919).  He was the eldest son of Philip and Ella Corken of “The Square”, Lisburn and later Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  His youngest brother Tom S. Corken was to become an Irish rugby International.  He may also have been a cousin of Jack Sinclair, below.

CORKEN, Corporal Robert John (Bob).  Born in Lisburn he lived at 73 Antrim Road in the town.  A book-keeper employed with Msrs. Abraham Neil, Castalia Mills, Belfast, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in the RIR (17479), embarking for France from Bordon Camp with 11 RIR in October 1915.  Transferred to 108 Company MGC (17674), he was Severely wounded on the evening of the 1 July 1916 and set off alone to get back to a dressing station.  He was not to be heard from again.  Posted as wounded and missing he was eventually, a year later in July 1917, listed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 24, or as the Herald put it, “it is now officially assumed that he has crossed over the space between the Two Great Silences”.    His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, Pier and face 5C or 12C.  He was the son of James and Jane Corken of Antrim Road, Lisburn and a great-uncle of a Miss McCleland of 56 Antrim Road, Lisburn.

CORKIN, Lance Sergeant Henry (Harry).  Born in Lisburn, he was “a musician of rare promise” who played the soprano cornet in the Lisburn Temperance Silver Band in which Francis Neagle (below) also played.  A carpenter by trade he also belonged to the UVF.  He had completed his apprenticeship with James Shortt just before he joined up, enlisting at Lisburn and serving in 11 RIR (17480) along with his two brothers Rifleman John and Lance Corporal William (Willie) Corkin, the latter being in the same platoon.  They all embarked for France from Bordon Camp with their battalion in October 1915.  He was drowned while bathing, probably in the River Ancre a tributary of the Somme, on the 17.5.16 aged 23.

According to Captain E.F. Smyth who wrote to his parents, he had been in command of a guard detail on a bridge and had gone in for a swim after dinner along with Riflemen J. Hillis and W. Wright, neither of whom could swim.  “He told them he was going out to see how deep the pool was and then swam out about 15 yards.  It would seem as if he got caught up in the weeds, and Wright tried to get him out but failed while Hillis ran for help.  He had some distance to come; we ran down and Rifleman A. Larmour and Corporal Dunlop went in and swam around.  Larmour found him in about ten feet of water and they brought him in.  Everything possible was done by the medical officer, but he had been under too long”.  He was buried with many of his friends in attendance in Authuile Military Cemetery, France, row C, grave 12.  He was the son of Elizabeth and Henry Corkin of 83 Gregg Street, Lisburn and brother of Rifleman John Corkin (below).  The headstone inscription reads, “Ever remembered by Father and Mother” – the same inscription used for his brother John and which appeared in an In Memoriam notice in the Herald on the 17 May 1919.

Of those involved at the time of Henry Corkin’s death only one, Wright, seems to have survived the war.  All the others, Edmund Smyth, John Hillis, Alex Larmour and Quinton Dunlop appear elsewhere on this casualty list.  Of his two brothers, John was to die the following February shortly after being discharged, William was wounded on the 1.7.16 and was fortunate to survive.  On the opening day of the Somme he had been shot through the chest.  Taken back to an overcrowded CCS, like countless others he was left outside on a stretcher awaiting treatment.  He was found there by Charlie M’Cahey another Lisburn man who was a Driver with the 36 Division RASC.  M’Cahey had volunteered to go down and help at the CCS after going off duty.  Seeing that Corkin was bleeding heavily, he carried him to the operating table where he was treated and shipped back to the military hospital in Hampstead.  On hearing the news, Henry Corkin senior, William’s father, who was employed at the Island Spinning Mill, wrote to the Standard so that, “the people of Lisburn know that Mr. M’Cahey’s action saved my boy Willie’s life”.

CORKIN, Rifleman John.  Born in Lisburn in about May 1895 he was a tailor by trade having served a four year apprenticeship – “time expired” and lived at 83 Gregg Street in the town.  A single man with no previous military experience, he enlisted in Lisburn on the 12 September 1914 aged 19 years and 4 months possibly, as all three have consecutive service numbers, along with his brothers Henry and William (Willie).  5’ 9¼” tall, he weighed 126lbs had a 34” chest fully expanded with 4” range of expansion, fresh complexion, dark grey eyes and black hair.  Posted to A Company 11 RIR (17481) with Henry and Willie, they all embarked from Bordon Camp for France in October 1915.

John and Willie Corkin were both wounded on the Somme on the 1 July 1916.  On the 17^th their father wrote to the Infantry Record Office, “Please say what you know of their conditions …”.  Both had survived although for Willie it had been a close run thing (see below).  John may have been posted back to duty on the 22 August but his health was deteriorating although this was probably not to do with events on the the 1 July.  On the 18 September 1916 he came before a Medical Board in London and was found to be unfit for war service as a result of having developed diabetes.  This according to the Board was “due to active service” and would “totally” reduce his “earning capacity”.  As a result he was discharged at Dublin on the 2.10.16 with a very good character and 2 years and 21 days service.  With no effective treatment available for diabetes at that time he died at his parents’ house in Gregg Street on the 6 February 1917 “of disease contracted on foreign service after being wounded”.  He was 22 years old and was buried with military honours in Lisburn Cemetery two days later.  His grave is in the old section, row B, number 473.  The headstone inscription reads, “Ever remembered by Father and Mother” – the same inscription used for his brother Henry and which appeared in an In Memoriam notice in the Herald on the 17 May 1919.  He was the third son of Henry and Elizabeth Corkin of 83 Gregg Street, Lisburn and brother of Henry Corkin, above.

A year after his death and again in 1920, John Corkin’s passing was remembered in the Lisburn Standard by his parents, sister and brothers one of whom, probably William, was back on active service.  He had been fortunate to survive the opening day of the Somme on 1 July 1916.  Shot through the chest he had been taken back to an overcrowded CCS, where, like countless others he was left outside on a stretcher to await treatment.  Fortunately he was found there by Charlie M’Cahey another Lisburn man who was a Driver with the 36 Division RASC.  M’Cahey had volunteered to go down and help at the CCS after going off duty and seeing that Corkin was bleeding heavily, had carried him to the operating table where he was treated and shipped back to the military hospital in Hampstead.  On hearing the news, Henry Corkin senior, Willie’s father and an employee at the Island Spinning Mill, wrote to the Standard so that, “the people of Lisburn know that Mr. M’Cahey’s action saved my boy Willie’s life”.  Willie Corkin appears to have been at home convalescing at the time of John’s death and to have attended his funeral.

Willie recovered and by March 1917 had risen to the rank of Corporal.  However, this was not a rank he was to retain.  On the 4 May 18 he went on leave and was due to return to No. 10 Camp at Durrington by midnight on the 8th.  Unfortunately he didn’t report until about 9.30 p.m. the following evening and was charged with being “absent … when under orders for overseas”.  Following a court martialled he was convicted for “absence” and sentenced to six months hard laboiur.  This was remitted by the GoC and instead he was reduced to the rank of Rifleman.  Despite his brush with death and the authorities, Willie Corkin appears to have survived the war.

CORRIGAN, Rifleman Edward.  Born at Blaris, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 1 RIR (5754).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 aged 32, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140.  He was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Corrigan of 6 Grove Street, Low Road, Lisburn and husband of Mrs. Catherine Corrigan of 8 and/or 24 Grand Street, Low Road, Lisburn.  His brother Joseph Corrigan was also on active service.  He appears to have survived the war.

CORRY, Rifleman John.  Born in Hollywood, he had served in the 2nd. battalion RIR for 9 years and saw active service in the Boer War.  He lived at Ballymullen, Lisburn and enlisting in the town, possible in 11 RIR, with whom he may have embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA in Belgium on the 12.4.18 aged 45 while serving with 12 RIR (17372), his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140.  He was the son of Henry Corry and husband of Jane Corry of ballymullen, Lisburn and 151 Dunluce Avenue, Lisburn Road, Belfast.

COSTELLO, Rifleman Robert, MM.  Born in Lambeg, he lived and enlisted in Lisburn.  Serving in 2 RIR (5717), he wrote to a Mrs. Harry Dornan of Bridge Street, Lisburn in March 1915 to thank her for comforts that she had sent.  He was reported wounded in November or early December 1916.  Awarded the M.M. in 1917, he DoW at home on the 14.1.18 and is buried in Trinity Terrace Graveyard, Lisburn.

COSTLEY, Private Edmund.  Born in Moira, Co. Down, he enlisted at Lurgan, Co. Armagh and served in 2 IG (8594).  KIA in Belgium on the 9.4.16 age 19, he is buried in Menin Road South Military Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium, plot 1, row H, grave 36.  He was the son of Joseph Henry Costley of Drumcro, Maralin, Lurgan.

COWAN, Lance corporal Albert William.  Born and living in Lisburn, before the war he was an apprentice caulker at Queen’s Island.  He volunteered in September 1914 and enlisted at Lisburn, in 11 RIR, embarking with them for France, from Bordon, in October 1915.  Involved in the fighting on the Somme on the 1.7.16 and at Messines in early June 1917 he came through both engagements without serious injury.  However, he was wounded during the fighting at Langemarck in Belgium on the 16 August 1917 which resulted in a prolonged convalescence. Subsequently transferred to 12 RIR (17484), he returned to the front on Good Friday 1918 and was KIA in Belgium two weeks later on the 15.4.18.  His death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140.  He was the youngest son of Joseph Cowan of 3 Wallace Avenue, Lisburn and brother of Stephen Cowan who by 1920 was living in Toronto, Canada.  In April 1920 his parents and brother inserted In Memoriam notices in the Standard on the second anniversary of his death.

 

COWAN, Private Andrew (Andy) Forsyth Crawford.    Born in Belfast on the 29.4.1885 he had an address in Drumbeg and at Dupont Street, Toronto in Canada.  A married man (husband of Minnie Cowan) and a motorman by trade, he was 5” 6½” tall, had a 38” chest with 2” expansion, blue eyes and brown hair.  According to his attestation papers he had, “small scars on [his] right arm and chin from poisoning”.  He enlisted at Toronto on the 5.6.16 aged 31 and served in 116 CI (249711).  KIA in France on the 8.8.18 age 33, he was in the same battalion and died on the same day as William George Atkinson.  He is buried in Horges Orchard Cemetery, Domart-sur-la-Luce, Somme, France, row A, grave 57 and was the husband of Minnie Cowan of Dupont Street and subsequently 278 Soudan Avenue, Toronto.

COWAN, Lieutenant Basil Terence Reilly.  Born on the 23 May 1885 in the parish of Antrim, he was an accomplished sportsman, “being the holder of several ‘firsts’ for tennis, golf, rowing and swimming”; he was also “in constant demand” as a footballer and cricketer.  At the outbreak of the war in August 1914 he was living at “The Park”, Lunugala in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) where he worked as a planter.  It was there that he joined a party of volunteers and sailed for England to join up.  Examined at London on the 13 December 1914 and, giving his permanent address as his father’s house at 65 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin, he enlisted there the following day as Private S7565 in 2 Coy., the Rifle Brigade, Ceylon Contingent Special Reserve.  Aged 29 and a single man, he was 5’7” tall, weighed 141lbs and had a 38” chest fully expanded with 4” range of expansion.  His physical development was described as “good” as was his sight at 6/6 in both eyes.  Stationed at Winchester, his career in the Rifle Brigade was short lived as he was discharged at his own request on the 20 January 1915 having applied for a Temporary Commission in the Leinsters or Rifle Brigade.  In fact he was commissioned into the 9 Lincolns and at the end of May 1915 was sent to Gallipoli where he was attached to the 1/5 Manchester Regiment.  By this point he was probably married to Norah Campbell Cowan of The Waldrons, Eyre Court Road, Seaton, South Devon although when the ceremony took place is not clear.

Writing on the 2 July he described how, “We got into Lemnos last night and went into camp for the night.  We are now on our way to the mouth of the Dardanelles, ten miles off, so expect to be in the thick of it before the day is out.  In fact I believe the Turks generally shell the boats before they get alongside”.  Three weeks later he confirmed how, “The worst shelling we have had was on the day we landed.  They started shelling the boat before we got ashore; then the beach had a very warm half-hour of it, but not very much damage was done”.  Basil Cowan reached his battalion on the 2 July along with another junior officer Second Lieutenant Philip Box, also of the 9 Lincolns and on attachment to the 1/5 Manchesters.

The battalion had landed at Cape Helles on the tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula on the 6 May and apart from a week at Imbros in the middle of June were still there when Cowan and Box arrived on the 2 July.  Since the 23 June, two days after their return from Imbros, they had been in or just behind the firing line at Krithia Nullah alternating with the 6 Manchesters.  It was here that Cowan had his first experience of life in the trenches.  There had been no major engagements and “quiet day” was a frequent observation in the battalion diary.  Nevertheless, there was a more or less constant trickle of casualties, what the army would have considered “normal wastage” and of course those other unpleasantnesses of Gallipoli in the summer time – the heat and the flies.  Pulled back to the reserve lines at “Clapham Junction” on the 11 July, Cowan wrote, “We have been in the rest trenches for some days now, as the men were absolutely done up after having been in the firing line for 16 days on end … .”   Even here though there was little respite.  Nowhere on the allied side of the line at Gallipoli was far from the fighting or out of range of the enemy, so the casualties continued.  By the 20^th another 5 men had been killed, 11 wounded and one, Private John Brown from Wigan, had died from heart failure.  Moved to the Eski Line on the 21^st where several days were spent digging saps and a new trench, and then back to Krithia Nullah on the 29^th_, by the end of the month the battalion’s total casualties for July amounted to at least 44 of whom 14 had been killed.

The start of August was quieter; in the first five days only three men were wounded and the battalion diary for the period records no other details of any sort.  It was the calm before the storm.  In another attempt to end the stalemate on the peninsula the British had decided to open a new front at Sulva Bay where fresh troops were to be landed from 10pm on the evening of the 6th.  This was to coincide with attacks at the existing fronts at Helles and Anzac Cove.  At 13.00 on the 5 August orders were issued by 127 Brigade HQ instructing 1/5 Manchesters that they would be involved in an attack the following day in support of 88^th Brigade.  Their objective was the Turkish trenches (H11a and H11b) that lay to the north of what was known as the Vineyard.  The artillery bombardment was to begin at 14.20 and the infantry assault at 15.50.

The attack went in on time and at 4.10 p.m. Brigade HQ received news that parts of H11a and H11b had been captured. However, whatever success there had been was short lived.  By 5.35 p.m. the attacks on the two trenches had failed.  The NW end of H11b had in fact turned out to be a dummy trench and once in it the men had been exposed to enfilade fire.  That, however, does not appear to have been the only or even the main reason for the lack of success.  The battalion diarist put it bluntly.  “Artillery preparation entirely failed and the infantry attack made against entirely unsubdued rifle and M.G. fire was practically wiped out and failed.  Our artillery dropped some shells in our own trench.”

That evening the attack continued using reinforcements from 7 Manchesters.  It was no more successful and during the night they had to fall back.  The following morning the attacks resumed.  The outcome was the same.  “Artillery preparation 9 a.m. attack 9.40 a.m.  5^th Manc[hesters] … ordered to make another attack on H11a and H11b.  We were very badly shelled by our own guns and sustained several casualties from them probably 30.  Artillery preparation and consequently infantry attack again failed.”  In two days of fighting the battalion had sustained 229 casualties – 20 killed, 158 wounded and 51 missing.  Basil Cowan was one of seven officers in the battalion listed as missing believed killed.  Another was Philip Box who had arrived with Cowan from the 9 Lincolns and landed with him in Gallipoli at the start of July.

The omens were not good.  The Adjutant of the battalion, Captain J.M.B. Sanders who himself was wounded and invalided home two months afterwards, reported how on that day, “we were ordered to storm some of the Turkish trenches.  I saw Cowan at the head of his men calling and cheering them on; and although one of his hands was severely wounded, he refused to return to the field hospital, but continued to lead his Company forward.  Then I heard a bomb burst and saw Cowan fall.  I had no time to halt but as I rode by I saw him lying in one of the trenches, motionless and bleeding profusely.  I fear he was mortally wounded”.  His death, which had taken place during the attack on the 6^th, was not confirmed until early the following summer.  He was thirty years old.

Basil Cowan has no known grave; his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli.  He was the husband of Norah Campbell Cowan of The Waldrons, Eyre Court Road, Seaton, South Devon and second and youngest son of Major Samuel K. Cowan of Drenta, Dunmurry 65 Fitzwilliam square, Dublin and Stanhope Gardens, London.  His elder brother may have been E.R. Cowan of 22 Adolphus Road, Finsbury Park, London.

In his will dated the 1 July 1915, the day he had arrived at Lemnos, and in which he gave his address as Drenta, Dunmurry, Co. Antrim, he left his estate to his widow who was also the sole executive.  His property consisted of £65.19.0 cash, 22 5% preference shares in the Linen Thread Co. Ltd., a one third share of the house and lands of Drenta, Dunmurry valued at about £940 and any balance he had with Messrs. Cox & Co. his bankers.  At probate his estate was given a gross value of £329.1.8.  In addition, Norah Cowan received a pension of £100 a year and a gratuity of £140.  Although it is not clear, a letter to the War Office dated 10 September 1919 from an M or N. C. Ford of 3 Alexander Place, Colyton, S. Devon regarding the estate of Lieutenant B.T. Cowan, suggests that Norah Campbell Cowan may have re-married.

 

COWAN, Rifleman/Bugler Archibald (Archie).  Born in Blaris, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR (3038) with whom he embarked from Bordon for France in October 1915.  He DoW in France on the 1.9.16 age 20 and is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, France, (close to the Franco-Belgium frontier), plot 2, row F, grave 194.  This cemetery is very close to the Belgian border.  The headstone inscription reads, “Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on his gentle breast”.  He was the son of Mr. And Mrs. Cowan of 37 Sloan Street, Lisburn.

COWAN, Rifleman Joseph.  Born in Blaris, he lived in Lisburn where he was employed in the combing department at Hilden Threadworks.  Enlisting in Lisburn at the start of the war and serving in A Company 11 RIR (7242), he embarked with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Reported missing on the Somme on the 16.7.16 and later as wounded, he recovered in Mill Road Infirmary Hospital, Liverpool before returning to the Front.  Reported wounded and subsequently as having been KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 aged 29, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140.  He was the eldest son of Thomas and Mary Cowan of 9 McKeown Street, Lisburn.  On the 13.10.17 his family had the following poem included along with his death notice in the Herald.  “He little thought when leaving home, That he would ne’er return again, But on the Battlefield of France, Lie numbered with the slain.  Sleep on, sleep on, my darling son, And peaceful be your rest; Mother misses you most of all, Because she loved you best.  We have lost a loving brother, And we mourn his absence sore; His loving face and kindly smile, We’ll see on earth no more.  Though far away, my dearest brother, And your grave we cannot see, But as long as life and memory lasts, We will remember thee”.

CRAINEY, Rifleman William John.  Born in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RIR (9087).  KIA in Belgium on the 11.11.14, the same date as Samuel Ferris, below, his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Belgium.

CRANGLE, Rifleman Albert Victor.  Born in Shankill, Belfast, he lived at Aghnathrisk, Hillsborough, Co. Down.  Enlisting at Lisburn in C Company 13 RIR (17492) he was wounded (probably) in May 1916 and shortly after, KIA on the Somme on the 28.6.16 aged 21.  He and 13 colleagues in his company were killed (10 immediately and 4 later of wounds) by a German shell which landed amongst them as they paraded in Martinsart village square to go on duty.  They were all buried in Martinsart British Cemetery plot 1, row A.  All Commonwealth War Graves Commission entries for these men give grave 1, presumably it is a communal grave.  Of the 14, 7 are on this list, CSM Beaston and Riflemen A.V. Crangle, R. Crawley, S. Hamilton, G. Heenan, T. Mercer and J.G. Thompson.  He was the son of James and Rhoda Crangle of Priesthill, Hillsborough, Co. Down, and brother of Herbert Crangle, below.

CRANGLE, Lance corporal Herbert S.  Born in Blaris, Co. Down, he lived at Aghnathrisk, Hillsborough, Co. Down.  Employed by Messrs J. McCausland, seed merchants of Victoria Street, Belfast, he enlisted at Belfast in May 1915 and served in 1/4 SeH (201085).  Involved in the Battle of the Somme and wounded at Vimy Ridge in the Spring of 1917, he was KIA in Belgium on the 1.8.17 aged 20, and is buried in New Irish Farm Cemetery, St. Jean-les-Ypres, Belgium, plot 12, row F, grave 18.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of James and Rhoda Crangle of Priesthill, Hillsborough, Co. Down and brother of Albert Victor Crangle, above.  His brother-in-law, a Mr. Coburn, lost his arm at Messines in October 1914 and was discharged the following May.

CRAWLEY, Gunner Richard.  Born at Hillsborough and living in Sandy Row, Belfast, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 120 Siege Battery RGA (5839).  KIA on the Somme on the 7.8.16 aged 31 his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 8A.  He was the husband of Margaret Crawley of 98 Blythe Street, Belfast.

CRAWLEY, Rifleman Richard.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he lived in Larne, Co. Antrim, enlisted at Lisburn and served in 13 RIR (17379).  KIA on the Somme on the 28.6.16, he is buried in Martinsart British Cemetery, France, plot 1, row A, grave 1.  He and 13 colleagues in his company were killed (10 immediately and 4 later of wounds) by a German shell which landed amongst them as they paraded in Martinsart village square to go on duty.  They were all buried in Martinsart British Cemetery plot 1, row A.  The headstone inscription reads, “His duty nobly done”.  All Commonwealth War Graves Commission entries for these men give grave 1, presumably it is a communal grave.  Of the 14, 7 are on this list, CSM Beaston and Riflemen A.V. Crangle, R. Crawley, S. Hamilton, G. Heenan, T. Mercer and J.G. Thompson.  He was the husband of Edith Crawley of 74 Lennonville, Glenarm Road, Larne, Co. Antrim.

CRILLY, Rifleman Daniel (Dan).  Born in Shankill, Belfast, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RIR (17/294).  KIA in France on the 8.12.15 aged 37, he is buried in Sucrerie Military Cemetery, Colincamps, France, plot 2, row E, grave 4.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the husband of Martha Crilly of 60 King Street, Belfast.

CROFT, Corporal Robert (Bertie).  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Dublin and served in the ACC (2848), before transferring to the 5 Battalion Tank Corps, MGC(T) (78300).  KIA in France on the 8.8.18 aged 24, he is buried in Hangard Communal Cemetery Extension, France, plot 2, row B, grave 4.  He was the son of James and Susan Croft of “The Cottages”, Clandeboye, Belfast.

CROSSAN, Rifleman John.  Born in Shankill Belfast, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RIR (14221).  Reported wounded and missing in late August/early September 1916 and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 2.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.

 

CROSSEY, Lance Corporal Henry.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RIR (9061).  He and his brother Private Robert Crossey who also served in 1 RIR (9062) returned from India with their battalion at the start of the war.  KIA in France on the 10.3.15, the Standard reported on the 4.6.15 that he had been listed as killed “some months ago, but last weeks casualty lists posted him as wounded and in hospital.”  Clearly it was incorrect.  His death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France, panel 42 or 43.  Robert was also invalided home about that time and was recovering from his wounds.  He was wounded again in November or early December 1916.  Private William Crossey, a third brother serving in 2 RIR was also in hospital in May/June 1915 recovering from wounds.  He had been a well known footballer in the town, playing for Lisburn United F.C. between 1912 and 1914.  A fourth brother Private Joseph Crossey, had at that time (June 1915) enlisted in the Royal Scots and was in training at Edinburgh.  Of the four brothers, Henry appears to have been the only one not to survive.  They were the sons of Mrs. Crossey, a widow, of Gregg Street, Lisburn.

CROSSEY, Rifleman Oliver.  Born in Belfast, he lived at Culcavey, Hillsborough, enlisted at Belfast and served in 13 RIR (16353).  He DoW in France on the 30.6.16 aged 20 and is buried in Puchevillers British Cemetery, France, plot 1, row A, grave 11.  He was the son of William and Susan Crossey of Thompson Row, Culcavey, Hillsborough.

CROSSIN, Stoker 1st Class, Edward.  Served in the Royal Navy (K/6960) on HMS Hawke and was KIA on the 15.10.14 age 24 when his ship was sunk by a submarine in the North Sea.  He was the son of James and Annie Crossin of Lisburn.  His death is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent, panel 4.  The Hawke, an old cruiser, was torpedoed with the loss of all but 21 of her crew.  Stoker William John Gillespie (below) was killed in the same action.   The sinking of the Hawke, and a month earlier the Cressy (on which Joshua Singleton died), the Hogue and Aboukir by the German submarine U9 (or U29), convinced both sides that the submarine was a potent weapon.  In March 1915 the Standard carried an article in which it was reported that, “The Aboukir, Cressy and Hogue have been avenged.  The submarine U29, which sank these boats, has been sent to the bottom with all hands … This cheerful news has been published by the Admiralty, and may be taken as a fact, though the Admiralty, always careful in their choice of language, only state, ‘they have good reason to believe’ that the German submarine U29 has been sunk”.

CROSSY William.  Commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial under “Rank Unascertained”.  There is no positive trace so far.

CROTHERS, Rifleman William.  Lived at Aghandunvarran, Hillsborough, Co. Down.  He enlisted at Hillsborough, and served in 2 RIR (993).  He died in France on the 26.6.18 and is buried in Cronenbourg French National Cemetery, Strasbourg, France, plot AB, grave 7.

CROTHERS, Sergeant William J.   Served in the RE (59811) and died at home on the 14.7.19 aged 44.  He is buried in Annahilt Presbyterian Churchyard, Co. Down, grave 264 with his parents William J. and Mary Carruthers.  The headstone inscription reads, “And in remembrance of his parents William J. and Mary Carruthers. Interred here”.

CROWE, Sergeant Thomas.  Born in Dunmurry, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 2 RIR (I274).  KIA on the Somme on the 24.3.18 age 26, his death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France, panels 74 to 76.  He was the son of Mrs. E. Crowe of 9 Courtrai Street, Belfast

 

CROZIER, Rifleman George.  Born in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 8 RIR (1195).  KIA in France on the 2.7.16 he is buried in Cayeux Military Cemetery, France, plot 3, row A, grave 24.

CROZIER, Sergeant Thomas.  Born in Lisburn, he lived at Portadown, enlisted at Omagh and served in 9 RInF (11062).  KIA in France on the 1.7.16 aged 22, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France. pier and face 15A/B.  He was the son of James Crozier of Strathearne, Dunmurry, Belfast.

CULBERT, Sergeant James.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 6 RIR (11525).  KIA in Salonica on the 15.9.16, his death is commemorated on the Doiran Memorial, Greece.

CUMMING, CSM William Herbert.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Bangor and served in 13 RIR (17518).  KIA in France on the 1.7.16 aged 31, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France. pier and face 15A/B.  He was the son of Mrs. M.A. Cumming of 16/18 High Street, Bangor and the late A.R. Cumming.

CUNNINGHAM, Sapper George.  Born in Hillsborough, he enlisted at Rutherglen, Lanarkshire and served in 2nd. Field Company RE (2424).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 6.8.15 aged 19, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 23-25.  He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Cunningham of Farmeloan Road, Rotherglen, Glasgow.

CUNNINGHAM, Rifleman John Hamilton.  Born in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, he lived at Dromore, Co. Down, enlisted at Lisburn, and served in 8/9 RIR (732).  He DoW on the Somme on the 26.6.16 aged 32 and is buried in Forceville Communal Cemetery, Extension, France, plot 1, row E, grave 3.  He was the son of the late James and Sarah Cunningham of Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim.

CUNNINGHAM, Guardsman William.  Born in Donegal, Co. Donegal, he had an address at Terrawee, Co. Londonderry and Lisburn where he was a police constable in the RIC at Smithfield.  He and four other constables (George Bell, Christopher Coldwell, P. Shields and William Stewart) had left Lisburn on the 29 December 1914 to enlist in the Irish Guards.  “Large crowds” had assembled to see them off, and each was presented with a box of cigarettes before they left.  Marching from Smithfield barracks, they were escorted by a guard of honour made up of men in 11 RIR.  According to the Standard, “the constables went direct to London” although the WOCL records that Cunningham enlisted in Dublin and served in 1 IG (6280).  Wounded once before his death he was KIA on the Somme on the 12.9.16 aged 24.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 7D.  He was the son of Mitchell and Maggie Cunningham of Terrawee, Glencely, Co. Donegal.  Of the five constables who left Lisburn that afternoon late in December 1914, at least three Bell (above), Coldwell (above) and Cunningham, were to die before the war was over.  Shields appears to have survived, and Stewart may have done so as well, although his fate is less certain.  A Guardsman William Stewart who was born in Hamilton Lanark, enlisted in West Calder, Midlothian and served in 2 IG (7365), DoW in France on the 15.11.15 aged 27.  Buried in Longuenesse (St. Omer) Souvenir Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, plot, 3, row A, grave 12, he was the husband of Janet Stewart of 22 Blantyre Terrace, Edinburgh.

CURRIE, Gunner James Malcolmson.    Born in Belfast on the 12.4.1893, he emigrated to Canada in about 1911 “and found employment in the famous Eaton Stores” and lived at 92 Longford Avenue, Toronto.  He was a single man and a clerk by profession, 5’ 6½” tall with a 35” chest and 3” range of expansion.  Of a fresh complexion with fair hair and blue eyes, he also had a brownish birthmark and mole on the back of his neck, a scar on his left leg and two moles on both his left and right sides.  He enlisted, with no previous military experience, at Toronto on the 29.1.16 age 22 years and 9 months and served in 5 Brigade CFA (316877).  He DoW in France on the 2.11.17 age 24 and is buried in St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen, France, section P, plot 3, row S, grave 10B.  He was the son of William John and Sarah Currie of 48 Ballynahinch Road, Lisburn, Co. Down.

CURRY, Rifleman John.  He is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial but there is no positive trace so far.

CURRY, Rifleman William.  Born in Lisburn, he lived at 11 Antrim Street, in the town, enlisted at Belfast and served in B Company 11 RIR (2525) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Listed as wounded and missing he was subsequently (in October) recorded as KIA on the Somme on the 1 July 1916.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the husband of Mary Sarah Curry of 11 Antrim Street, Lisburn with whom he had a young family of six.  She included the following poem along with her husband’s death notice in the Standard for the 10 October.  “If I could have raised his dying head, Or heard his last farewell, The blow would not have been so hard, To one who loved him well.  We often sit and think of you, when we are all together, Our family chain is broken now. A loved one gone forever”.  In the Herald for the 5 July 1919 she again remembered his passing.  “There is a link death cannot sever.  Fond love and remembrance last forever”.  His death is also commemorated on the family headstone in Lisburn Cemetery which records that two of his children died in their infancy, Thomas aged four and Elizabeth sixteen months.  Mary Curry survived until 1958.  William Curry was the son of the late James Curry, and of Letitia Curry of 29 Antrim Street, Lisburn.  His brothers were also on active service.

DALEY, Ordinary Seaman Herbert.  Served in the Royal Navy on HMS Panther (SS/4231).  KIA in an engagement with a submarine off the Firth of Forth on the 5.9.14 age 21, his death is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent, panel 3.  He was the son of George and Sarah Ann Daley of 16 Milfort Avenue, Dunmurry.

DALTON, Fireman Alexander.  Served in the MMR (865447) on HMS Eaglet.  He died on the 2.3.19 age 25 and is buried in Blaris Old Cemetery, grave 561.  He was the son of William Dalton of 128 Bristol Street, Belfast.

DALTON, Private David.  Born and living in Lurganure, Co. Antrim, he was a gardener by trade and was employed by Sir Thomas Dixon at Hillsborough Castle.  He enlisted at Lisburn shortly after the outbreak of war and served in 11 RIR (18941), embarking with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Invalided back in March 1916 he only returned to the front on the 10 August 1917.  Transferred to 143 Company MGC(I) (17680), he DoW in Belgium on the 31.8.17 aged 25 and is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinghe, Belgium, plot 18, row F, grave 3.  The headstone inscription, which his mother also use for the “In Memoriam” notice she inserted in the Standard on the 29.8.19, reads, “His richest gift he laid on the alter of life”.  He was the son of Maria J. and the late Robert Dalton of Lurganure, Maze, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.  His brother Private W.J. Dalton served with the North Lancashire Regiment in India, East Africa and Egypt.  He appears to have survived the war.  A younger brother worked as an apprebtice in the offices of the Lisburn Standard.

DAVIDSON, Private Thomas.  Born in Dromore, Co. Down, he lived at Aghandunvarren, Hillsborough, Co. Down, enlisted at Belfast and served in 16 MR 24882.  KIA in Belgium on the 28.12.17, he is buried in Hooge Crater Cemetery, Belgium, plot 8, row C, grave 12.  There is no headstone inscription.

DAVIS  Private Charles.    Born in Ballynahinch, he lived at Magheraknock, Co. Down (north west of Ballynahinch and east of Annahilt).  Enlisting in 10/11 HLI (19390) probably with his brother James, at Hamilton, Lanarkshire he subsequently transferred to MGC(I) (18573).  He DoW on the Somme on the 15.07.16 aged 22 and his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 5C and 12C.  He was the son of James and Ellen Davis of Magheraknock, Ballynahinch, Co. Down and brother of James Davis, below.

DAVIS  Lance Corporal James M.M.   Born in Ballynahinch, he lived at Magheraknock, Co. Down (north west of Ballynahinch and east of Annahilt).  Enlisting in 10/11 HLI 19391 probably with his brother Charles, at Hamilton, Lanarkshire, he DoW in France on the 25.4.17 aged 31 and is buried in Etaples Military Cemetery, France, plot 19, row H, grave 4.  He was the son of James and Ellen Davis of Magheraknock, Ballynahinch, Co. Down and brother of Charles Davis, above.

DAVIS  Private James.  Born in Shankill, Co. Antrim, he enlisted  at Belfast and served in 2 RInF (10554).  KIA in Belgium on the 20.10.14, his death is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium, panel 5.

DAVIS, Rifleman Maxwell.    Born in and enlisted at Belfast, he served in 14 RIR 20291 dyeing at “home” on the 30.6.18 age 24.  He is buried in Drumbo Presbyterian Churchyard, grave 133.  The headstone inscription reads, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord”.

DAVISON, Rifleman James Hall.  Born in Moira, Co. Down, he lived at Yew Tree, Meghaberry and was educated for a time at Lisburn Intermediate School.  He was working in the Clones Branch of the Ulster bank on the outbreak war and enlisted at Belfast in 11 RIR (16426) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Writing to his father, Captain Smith told him that his son had been recommended for a D.C.M for jumping into a river and saving a soldier from drowning.  He had also been recommended for a commission by Lt-Col. Pakenham.  Originally reported missing in July 1916, it was January or February 1917 before his father was told officially that he “must now be regarded as dead”.  He had in fact been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 19 and is buried in Connaught Cemetery, Thiepval, France, plot 3, row A, grave 1.  There is no headstone inscription.  What was known of the circumstances of Hall Davison’s death were described to his parents in a letter sent to them by Captain Smith.  “The last that was seen or heard of [him] was that he was sent back by Major Jenkins (see below) with a message from the third German trench.  He was”, Smith went on, “well known as a particularly fearless and conscientious soldier, keen on his duty and well liked by all”.  His death is also commemorated on the family headstone in Moira Presbyterian churchyard.  His father, James A. Davison of Yew Tree Hill, Moira, died in Sydney, Australia on the 12.4.41 as did his brother William John (Bill) on the 10.12.46 aged 40.  He would have been 10 at the time of Hall’s death.

DAWSON, Private David.  Born in Stoneyford on the 26.1.1888, he was a single man and farmer by profession.  A member of the militia, he enlisted at Brandon, Manitoba on the 1 or 24.12.14 aged 26.  5’ 4” in height he had 33-36” chest (3” expansion), a scar on his left arm, fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.  Serving in the 1 CMR (SasR) (106188), he DoW in France on the 16.7.17 aged 29 and is buried in Noeux-Les-Mines Communal Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, plot 2, row E, grave 31.  The fourth son of Richard James and Jane Anna Dawson of Riverside House, Bovolgan, Stoneyford, Lisburn, he had two brothers serving with the Australian Army Medical Corps in France.  They appear to have survived the war.  Noeux-les-Mines is a town 6 kilometres south of Bethune on the main road to Arras.

DEDDIS, Lance corporal Thomas.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down and living at Belfast, he enlisted at Downpatrick, and served in 6 RIR (5066).  He DoW in Salonica on the 5.6.17 and is buried in Struma Military Cemetery, Greece, plot 8, row B, grave 2.

DEMPSTER, Sapper Hugh.  Born in Ballymacarrett, Co. Down, he lived at Corcreeny, Hillsborough, enlisted at Belfast and served in 121 Field Company, RE (64563).  He died at “home” on the 5.6.16 and is buried in Maghull (St. Andrew’s) churchyard, Lancashire, grave 504.  There are no next of kin details put he may have been a brother of William Dempster below.  Note the consecutive numbers.

 

DEMPSTER, Sapper William J.  Born in Ballymacarrett, Co. Down, he lived at Hillsborough, enlisted at Belfast and served in 150 Field Company, RE (64562).  KIA in France on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 8A and 8D.  There are no next of kin details put he may have been a brother of Hugh Dempster above.  Note the consecutive numbers.

DENNISON, Rifleman Robert.  Born in Lambeg, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 1 RIR (5365).  KIA in Belgium on the 14.10.18 aged 38, he is buried in Tyne Cot Cemetery, Passchendaele, Belgium, plot 58, row F, grave 22.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the husband of Sarah Dennison of 71 Bridge Street, Lisburn.

 

DICK, Lance corporal Samuel.  A resident of Drumbeg, he was an employee of Messrs. John Shaw Brown & Sons of Edenderry and a member of Drumbeg UVF.  He enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR, Lewis gun section, embarking with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Subsequently transferred to 12 RIR (2559), he DoW at a casualty clearing station in Belgium on the 13.10.18 aged 21 and is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinghe, Belgium, plot 30, row B, grave 26.  The headstone inscription reads, “Faithful unto death”.  He was the son of Samuel and Margaret Dick of Drumbeg, Dunmurry, Co. Down.  His death was also commemorated on the family headstone in Drumbo Presbyterian graveyard by his brother William Dick.  Samuel Dick senior died on the 29.3.62 aged 91 and Margaret on the 9.5.35 aged 58.

DICKEY, Private Robert.  Born in Lisburn, he lived at Bradbury’s Buildings in the town where he enlisted, serving in 12 RS (26452).  KIA on the Somme on the 15.7.16 aged 26, he is buried in Quarry Cemetery, Montauban, France, plot 2, row L, grave 9.  The headstone inscription reads, “RIP”.  He was the husband of Sarah Ann Dickey and the son of John and Elizabeth Dickey of 23 Market Street, Lisburn.  A poem commemorating his death, probably written by his parents, was published in the Standard on the 8.9.16.

DICKSON, Rifleman Samuel.  Born and living in Ballinderry, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Clandeboye and served in D Company 11 RIR (6456), embarking with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Listed as wounded and missing and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 24, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the son of Amelia Dickson of Lower Ballinderry, Co. Antrim.

DICKSON  Private Samuel.    Born in Lisburn on the 22.8.1893 he had lived at Gregg Street in the town.  A labourer by trade, he had 1 years military experience in the “R.G. Toronto”.  5’ 7½” in height, he had a 35” chest with 3” expansion, a dark complexion, grey eyes and dark brown hair.  Certified fit for overseas service on the 29.8.14, he enlisted at Valcartier, Canada on the 22.9.14 in the 7th. battalion, subsequently 3 CI COR (10115).  He died on the 2.5.15 age 21 and his death is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium, panels 18–30.  He was the son of Robert J. and Mary A. Dickson of 135 Gregg Street, Lisburn.

DICKSON, Driver Thomas.    Born in Belfast on the 26.4.1882 and a farmer by profession he was 5’ 7½”tall and had a 37” chest with 3½” expansion.  He was married, had served in the Boer War and had 7 years  military experience, 2 years and 9 months with the RHA and 4 years and 3 months with the RFA.  He enlisted at Portage La Graine (or Fraine), in Canada on the 12.5.15 aged 33 and was posted to 18th Battery, 5th Brigade, CFA (86791).  He DoW received in an air raid on the 13.10.15 age 33 and was buried in Shorncliffe Military Cemetery, Kent, plot O, grave 311.  He was the son of Richard and Elizabeth Dickson of Ballinderry, Co. Antrim, and husband of Lillie Dickson of Ryanton, Manitoba.

DICKSON, Gunner Thomas.  Born in Dromara, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 47 Battery, 41 Brigade, RFA (41431).  He DoW in France on the 29.8.18 age 21, and his death is commemorated on the Vis-En-Artois Memorial, Pas de Calais, France, panel 3.  He was the son of William and Agnes Dickson of 30 Peveril Street, Ormeau Road, Belfast.

 

DOAKE, Major Samuel Henry DSO.   A native of Glenlagan, Dromara, Co. Down, he was educated St. Paul’s School, passing second into RMA Woolwich.  Commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1912, he landed in France in August 1914 and served continuously at the front for three and a half years.  He was serving in 52 Army Brigade, RFA when he was KIA near Arras on the 30.3.18 age 25.  He is buried in La Targette British Cemetery, Neuville St. Vaast, Pas De Calais,  France, plot 1, row J, grave 1.  He was the son of the late Richard Baxter Doake of “Redmeade,” 9 Granville Road, Eastbourne, and the late Mary Elizabeth Doake.  A plaque in 1^st Dromara Presbyterian church was erected to “commemorate the generous gift of £1500 given by Richard Baxter Doake of Kinallen and London and Mary Elizabeth Doake in gratitude to God that their three children Violette, Vere and Henry have been spared and given strength to serve their country so long and bravely through the Great War 1914-18”.  However, it goes on to record that, “Since the above was written Major Henry Doake RFA DSO was killed in action near Arras 30 March 1918”.

 

DOBBIN, Aircraftman 2nd. Class Albert E.    Served in the RAF (298101).  He died at “home” on the 28.5.19 age 18 and is buried in Drumbo (Holy Trinity) Church Of Ireland Churchyard.  The headstone inscription reads, “Therefore be ye also ready. Matthew 24 ch. 44th. Verse”.  He was the son of Hugh and Jane Scott Dobbin of 115 Hillman Street, Belfast.

 

DOBBIN, Captain William Leonard Price MC.  Born in Victoria, Australia, he served in 2 RIR.  KIA at Contescourt on the Somme on the 21.3.18 age 20, his death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France, panels 74 to 76.  He was the son of Major William Wood Dobbin, MBE of Osborne, Dunmurry and the late Emily Josophine Cuzens Dobbin.

DODDS, Private John.  Born in Lisburn, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RInF (6945).  He DoW received in Gallipoli on the 31.8.15 and is buried in Cairo War Cemetery, Egypt, row D, grave 74.

DODDS, Private Michael.  Born in Magherasaul, Co. Down, he lived in Lisburn where he enlisted and served in 1 RIrF (3466).  KIA in France on the 9.4.17 aged 19, he is buried in Point-du-Jour Military Cemetery, Athies, (near Arras), France, plot 1 row A, grave 2.  He was the brother of Miss Wilhelmina Dodds of 15 Young Street, Lisburn.

DONAGHY, Private James.  Born at Lisburn, Co. Antrim, he lived in Ballynahinch, enlisted at Belfast and served in the RIR (5928), subsequently transferred to 2 Garrison battalion RIrF (G1762).  He died in Salonica on the 2.1.18 and is buried in Salonika Military Cemetery, Greece, grave 1334.

DONALDSON, Private David.  Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 3 RInF (9455).  He died at “home” on the 12.7.18 aged 26 and is buried in Milltown Cemetery, Belfast, plot B, row KE, grave 5.  He was the son of David Donaldson of 133 Main Street, Claremont, New Hampshire, U.S.A.

DONEGAN, Private Samuel.  Born in Lisburn, where he lived at 74 Hill Street, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RInF (12747).  He saw action at Gallipoli in 1915 but was reported MIA and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 and is buried in Serre Road, Cemetery No.2, France, plot 6, row A, grave 17.  He and his wife (also of 74 Hill Street) had five children, the youngest, a daughter was born in late July/early August 1916.  Her father had hoped to get home in time for what the Standard called, “the interesting event”.  Instead, at the time of her birth, he was missing in action.  It may have been though that little hope was entertained of him ever turning up – the article in the Standard which reported that he was missing also referred to him as “the late” Private Donegan!  He was the brother of Sgt. Thomas Donegan, below, who was killed at the Dardanelles in June 1915.  Two other brothers, Corporal Albert Donegan 6 RIrF and Sergeant James Donegan, 6 and 2 RIR, also served on the Western Front.

DONEGAN, Sergeant Thomas.    Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RInF (8940).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 29.6.15, he was either buried in Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery, Gallipoli, row B, grave 40, or his death is commemorated on a memorial in the same graveyard.  A brother of Pvt. Samuel Donegan, above, two other brothers Corporal Albert Donegan 6 RIrF and Sergeant James Donegan, 6 and 2 RIR, also served on the Western Front.

DONNELLY, Private Hugh.  Born and living in Smithfield, Lisburn, he was employed at the netting department at Hilden.  A keen footballer and a member of Lisburn United F.C., he enlisted at Glasgow and served in 6 RSF (11940).  He died in France on the 26.9.15 and his death is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, France, panels 46-49.  Two brothers as well as his father were also on active service.  His mother did not receive official confirmation of his death until October 1916.

DONNELLY, Private Samuel.  Born in and enlisting at Lisburn he served in 15 RS (24748).  Listed in the Standard as a “Lisburn Casualty” when the paper reported that he had been wounded in May or June 1916, he was KIA in France on the 28.4.17.  His death is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, France, bay 5.

DONNELLY, Private Thomas. Born in and enlisting at Armagh, he served in 5 RIrF (16399).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 7.8.15, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 178-180.

DORMAN, Rifleman William John.  Born in Ballycasborough, Co. Down, he lived at Carnbane, Lisburn, Co. Down.  He enlisted at Lurgan and served in 16 RIR 240 before being transferred to 459th. Company Labour Corps (593769).  He died in Scotland on the 22.10.18 aged 32 and is buried in Stirling (Marplace) Cemetery, Scotland, section YZ, grave 13.  He was the son of Carlisle and Alice Dorman.

DORNAN, Private George.  Born in Lisburn, he was a veteran of the Boer War, re-enlisted at Glasgow and served in 1 RInF 16945.  Involved in the landings at Sulva Bay in Gallipoli where he subsequently contracted malaria, he was back at the Front for three months before he DoW in France on the 21.5.17.  He is buried in Abbeville Communal Cemetery, France, plot 3, row A, grave 11.  He was the son of Robert Dornan of Lisnagarvey Cottages, Lisburn.

DORNAN, Lance corporal George Irwin.  Born in Belfast between May and September 1885 he was educated there before emigrating to Australia in about 1910 aged 25.  This was also the year of his father’s death.  A grocer (or dairy produce merchant according to his application to join the AIF) by trade, he was a single man aged 30 and living at 59 McCleary Street, Freemantle when he enlisted in the AIF at Perth W.A. on the 13.1.16.  Given his preliminary medical examination that day (although his military service is dated from the 12.2.16), he had a dark complexion, grey eyes and black hair.  5’ 5” tall, he had a 33” to 35” chest and weighed 139 lbs. Recorded as having been vaccinated in infancy his vision was 6/6 in the right eye and 6/9 in the left.  Having no military experience when he enlisted, he may have done at least part of his training at Blackboy Hill before being posted as a Private to the 1^st Reinforcements for the 44 AI (1641) on the 3 June 1916.  Three days later he embarked for England from Freemantle, Western Australia on the “Suevic”.  Arriving at Plymouth on the 21 July he was taken on strength on the 13 October and left Southampton for France on the 25 November.  Placed on a charge for being absent without leave on the night of the 21/22 July 1917 he was given four days Field Punishment No. 2 and lost five days pay amounting to £1.5s.0d.  His crime had been, “absenting himself without leave in that he was absent from his quarters from Tattoo 21/7/17 [9.30 p.m.] until Reveille [6 a.m.] 22/7/17. 8½ hours”.  Not that this appears to have been held against him.  On the 1 November that year he was promoted to Lance Corporal and a note in his service record shows that he was due “two blue chevrons”.  Admitted sick to hospital on the 13 March 1918 he was diagnosed as suffering from Scabies.  Re-joining his unit a week later on the 20^th, he was KIA at Saille-le-Sec on the Somme on the 7 April 18 aged 32.  Originally buried about 800 yards east north east of the village, his body was subsequently exhumed and re-buried in Villers Bretonneux Military Cemetery, France, plot 13, row D, grave 7.  There is no headstone inscription.  His death is also commemorated on the family headstone in Cargycreevy Presbyterian churchyard where both his parents are buried.  He was the son of James Dorn (born 1854, died 1910) and Minnie Dornan (born 1857, died 1921) of 30 Madrid Street, Belfast.  The legates in his will were his mother, sister Margretta (Greta) Sarah Dornan and brothers John and James.  His uncle Frederick Ernest Dornan of South Terrace, Freemantle was named as executor although he may have passed some of this responsibility onto his eldest nephew John with whom he lived.  His effects were sent to his mother in May 1918 and on the 11.6.18 she was granted a pension of 40 shillings per fortnight beginning on the 15^th of the month.  His brother John received his war medals in March 1922.

 

DORRITY, Rifleman George.    Born in Ballylesson, Belfast, he enlisted at Belfast and served in B Company 14 RIR (YCV) (16443).  KIA on the Somme on the 6.4.16 age 21, he is buried in Hamel Military Cemetery, Beaumont-Hamel, France, plot 1, row E, grave 22.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of William Dorrity of 29 Elaine Street, Stranmillis, Belfast who died on the 19.11.1939 and Margaret Ann Dorrity who died on the 7.8.1925.  His death is also commemorated on the family headstone in Drumbo Parish Churchyard, Ballylesson.

DOUGAN, Lance corporal Thomas.  Born in Greenock, Renfrew, he lived at 163 Mill Street, Hilden, Lisburn with his wife and before the war had worked for the Pearl Assurance Company.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 LR (1947).  KIA in France on the 27.3.18, his death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France.

DOUGLAS, Rifleman Samuel John.  Born in Dromara, he lived at Ravarnette, enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR (1285) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  A brief report in the Standard on the 12.11.15 stated that he had been accidentally injured and hospitalized.  KIA in Belgium on the 29.5.17 aged 34; he was the son of James Douglas of Ravarnette, Lisburn, Co. Down, and the late Agnes Douglas.  In a letter to his father written that day, Second Lieutenant D. Thompson wrote, “It is with profound sorrow [that] I write to you about your son who was killed whilst nobly at his post on the night of the 28-29^th May, and I feel incapable of expressing what I feel for you all, and what he had been to us.  He has been a good soldier and was ready and willing to do his duty.  I was speaking to him about an hour before he was killed, and I was impressed by his cheerfulness. … He will be greatly missed by us all”.  Andrew Gibson the Presbyterian Chaplain to the battalion also wrote the following day saying that, “it was my sad duty to conduct the funeral service over his grave yesterday.  He was buried in a little cemetery near the lines whe[re], with others who have also laid down their lives, he sleeps, ‘till the day break and the shadows flee away’.  This is a heavy burden of sorrow you are asked to bear”.  Samuel Douglas is buried in Pond Farm Cemetery, Wulverghem, Belgium, row O, grave 16.  The headstone inscription reads, “He sleeps till the day breaks and the shadows flee away”.  The Herald for the 16 June 1917 carried death notices inserted by his parents, his sister and brother-in-law Maggie and Bob Rainey of Tanaghbrick, Lisburn, and his brothers and sisters-in-law James and Maggie Douglas of 5 Edward Street, Portadown, William and Lizzie Douglas of 48 Harrybrook Street Belfast, Paton and Minnie Douglas of 38 Legale Street, Belfast and Robert and Martha Douglas of 69 Legale Street, Belfast.  Five of the six notices included poems, the following from his “broken-hearted” mother and father.  “Could I have raised his dying head, Or heard his last farewell; The blow would not have been so hard, For those that loved him well.  Some may think that we forget you, When at times we are apt to smile; Little knowing the grief that’s hidden, Neath the surface all the while”.  And from his sister, Maggie Rainey, “Oh! Thou, Who driest the mourner’s tear, How dark this world would be, If, when distressed and wounded here, We could not fly to thee!  The dear one who, in duty’s cause, Has fallen in the fight; Oh! God above, in Thy great love, Be with us till we meet above”.  His brother William was on active service at the time but appears to have survived the war.  After the war, on the 31 May 1919, an In Memoriam notice appeared in the Herald inserted by his father, sisters, brothers, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law whose address was now given as Ravarnette, Lisburn.  There was no mention of his mother.  It read, “Two years have passed and still we miss the one we loved so dear; Still in our hearts a vacant place that time can never fill.  The fight is o’er, the victory won, but oh! the grief and pain, and longing for the one that sleeps alone, across the main.  Until the day break and the shadows flee away”.

DOWDS, Lance Corporal Charles John.  Born in Lisburn, he lived on the Ballynahinch Road in the town, enlisted at Dunoon, Argylshire and served in 1/6 ASH (8007).  KIA in France on the 26.9.16 aged 22, he is buried in the A.I.F. Burial Ground, Grass Lane, Flers, France, plot 5 row D, grave 16.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of Charles and Eliza Jane Dowds of 73 Ballynahinch Road, Lisburn.  His mother inserted a poem with his death notice in the Standard on the 20.10.16.  It read, “His warfare o’er, his battle fought, His victory won though dearly bought; He fought so well, he was so brave, He slumbers now in a soldier’s grave”.

DOWNING, Second Lieutenant James.  Born in Belfast, and living at Hillhall, Lisburn, he served his apprenticeship with the firm of Messrs. Robert Watson and Co. Ltd., Donegall Street, Belfast and before the war had been working in Dublin.  Commissioned on the 16.11.15, he served in 3 RIrR, attached to the 6th. battalion.  KIA on the Somme on the 3.9.16 aged 32, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 3A.  He was the fifth son of John and Rebecca Downing of Hollyhouse, Hill Hall, Lisburn, Co. Down and later of 46 South Parade, Belfast.

DUFFIN, Captain Charles Francis.  Born in Dunmurry, he was on the General Army List, in 9 RIR and attached to 127 PoW Company, Labour Corps, RIR.  He died in France on the 13.3.18 aged 23 and is buried at Longuenesse (St. Omer) Souvenir Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, plot 4, for F, grave 67.  He was the son of Charles Howard Duffin who died on the 2.9.21 and Ellen Frances Isabella Duffin of “St. Catherine’s,” Craigavad, Co. Down who died on the 25.6.42 aged 80.  Also brother of William Howard Duffin who died from gun shot wounds on the 15.2.22 aged 22.  All three relatives are buried at Derriaghy Parish Church where Charles Francis’ death is commemorated on the headstone.

DUGAN, Lance corporal Hill.    Born and living in Lisnatrunk, Lisburn, Co. Down and also with an address in Lagan Terrace, Hilden, he was employed at Hilden before the war.  Enlisting at Belfast he served in B Company 10 ACC (1668) and was KIA in Belgium on the 12.8.17 aged 21 at a time when he was expected home on leave.  Buried in Bus House Cemetery, Voormezeele, Belgium, row H, grave 13, there is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of Hill and Mary Jane Dugan of 2 Waring Place, Low Road, Lisburn, and 1 Lagan Terrace, Hilden.  His cousin Rm. E McConnell from 5 Victoria Crescent, Lisburn was wounded by shrapenel in August? 1917.  Treated in hospital in Nottingham, he appears to have survived the war.

DUGAN, Private Richard.  Address Belfast.  He enlisted at London, served in 7 RIrF (20834) and DoW in France on the 29.4.16.  His death is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, France.

DUNLEAVY, Rifleman James.  Born in Blaris, he lived at 20 Antrim Place, Lisburn.  An old soldier with 18 years experience and having fought in the Boer War, he re-enlisted at Lisburn and served in D Company 11 RIR (2542).  Embarking for France from Bordon in October 1915, he was KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 52.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the husband of Agnes Dunleavy of 20 Antrim Place, Lisburn.  They had three children.

DUNLEAVY, James.  Commemorated on Lisburn War memorial, there is no positive trace so far.

DUNLOP, Lieutenant Charles.    Educated at Friends’ School, Lisburn, though the school records do not show when he entered.  His first report dated 23.12.04 records “Conduct very satisfactory.  Subsequent comments were “satisfactory”.  He left FSL on the 21.7.05 and may subsequently have attended RBAI.  He entered Sandhurst and was sent to the front shortly after graduating where he served in the RInF.  He DoW in France on the 22.10.14 aged 22 while waiting for an amputation which he did not get.  He was very fond of his horse and before he died was most concerned about what had happened to it.  He is buried in Les Gonards Cemetery, Versailles, Yvelines, France, plot 1, grave 35 and was the son of Elizabeth Dunlop of Edenderry House, Ballylesson, and the late James Dunlop.

DUNLOP, Corporal Quinton.  Born at Belfast on the 31.10.1896, he lived at Inglewood, Lisburn.  Educated at Friends’ School, which he entered on the 6.9.05, his reports between then and his departure in November 1908 were consistently good.  A member of Lisnagarvey Hockey Club and Lisburn Cricket Club, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in A Company 11 RIR (18950) rather than applying for a commission which, in the view of the editor of the Standard, he could have had in other battalions.  Rather, “he preferred to stick with his pals”.  He embarked for France from Bordon Camp as a lance corporal with 11 RIR in October 1915 and was involved in attempts to save Henry Corkin from drowning on the 17.5.16 (see above).  He was KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 19.  Prior to the attack that morning, he and three others including Lieutenant Waring, had volunteered to go out into no-mans-land on “scouting duty”.  Waring was the only one to return alive.  In a letter to George Dunlop he explained that his son “was shot at his (Waring’s) side and that death was instantaneous”.  Quinton Dunlop, who at the time of his death had been recommended for a commission in 11 RIR, has no known grave.  His death is commemorated on Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15A/B.  He was the only son of George and Mary Dunlop of Inglewood, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.  The report on Dunlop in the Standard is, like many others, full of praise.  However, it is unusually long compared to those for others of humble rank and somehow more sincere.  Perhaps this is a reflection of the fact that he was, in the words of the writer, “a personal friend of our own”.

EDENS, Private Thomas Henry.    Born in Ballinderry, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 IG (2611).  KIA in Belgium on the 1.11.14, his death is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium, panel 11.

ELLIOTT, Rifleman Alexander.  Born in Drumbo, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RIR (13566 or 13506).  KIA in France on the 10.3.15, he is buried in Merville Communal Cemetery, Nord, France, plot 1, row B, grave 1.  He was the husband of Mrs. S. Elliott of 9 Ravensdale Street, Belfast.

EMERSON, Rifleman Thomas Henry.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he lived at Culcavey, Hillsborough, enlisted at Belfast and served in C Company 14 RIR (YCV) (497).  He DoW in Belgium on the 20.6.17 aged 23 and is buried in Locre Hospice Cemetery, Belgium, plot 1, row A, grave 12.  The headstone inscription reads, “Peace perfect peace”.  He was the son of William and Agnes Emerson of 11 Zetland Street, Belfast.

ERVIN, Corporal of Horse Hugh Glass (Brownlow).  Born and living in Dromara, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in the Company of Horse, Royal Horse Guards (The Blues) (1222).  KIA in Belgium on the 30.10.14, his death is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium, panel 3.  The family headstone outside 2^nd Dromara Presbyterian church shows that he was the son of Samuel James Ervin who died on the 20.3.1934 aged 76 and Sarah Jane Ervin who died on the 8.9.1937 aged 78.  They would have been in their mid fifties at the time of their son’s death.

EVANS, Private Robert S.  He served in NIH (71586) and died on the 9.11.18 aged 27.  He was the son of Thomas Evans of Suffolk, Dunmurry, and is buried in Derriaghy Parish Church graveyard in the same grave as his brother Private Thomas Evans, below.  There is no headstone inscription.

EVANS, Private Thomas.   He served in 138 Company MGC(I) (17716) and died on the 21.3.20 aged 23.  Buried in Derriaghy Parish Church graveyard in the same grave as his brother Private R. Evans, above.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of Thomas Evans of Suffolk, Dunmurry.

EWART, Captain Cecil Frederick Kelso.  Educated at Winchester, he was a member of Lisburn Cricket Club and commander of I Company of the 1^st. Lisburn battalion UVF whom he supplied with rifles and ammunition and allowed to practice on his own private shooting range.  Enlisting in the New Army at the outbreak of war as did his two brothers, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the RIR on the 1.2.15.  He embarked for France from Bordon Camp, as a 2^nd  Lieutenant in A Company 11 RIR, in October 1915 and was promoted to Captain early in 1916.  As second in command of C Company he took command on the 1.7.16 when Captain Samuels was wounded.  Originally reported wounded and missing he was later confirmed as KIA near Thiepval Wood on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 28.  His orderly, James Andrews, (see above), was killed the same day.  Captain Ewart was the second son of Maryanne Ewart and Frederick William Ewart of Derryvolgie, Lisburn.  His father ran the firm of William Ewart and Son Ltd., Bedford Street, Belfast.  His death is commemorated on Thiepval memorial, France Pier 15 Face A/B and on a plaque in Christchurch, Lisburn.  His brothers, Major Gerald V. Ewart RASC and Major William Basil Ewart 15 RIR both survived the war although William (below), who was invalided out of the army in 1917, died in February 1920 as a result of “an illness contracted on war service”.  His elder brother Gerald received the O.B.E. in the King’s birthday honours in 1919.

EWART, Major William Basil (Willie).  Born on the 25 September 1890 he lived at Derryvolgie, Lisburn and was educated at Malvern College where he was a member of the Public Schools Corps.  He entered his father’s Crumlin Road Mill in 1907 and, with the exception of a year spent at James Mackey’s in Belfast to “gain experience on the working of textile machinery”, he was employed there until shortly after the start of the war.  During this time his involvement in the flax trade led him to travel widely on the continent including Russia.

An active Unionist, he was commander of the 1^st Battalion of the North Belfast Regiment of the UVF with whom he enlisted in the Ulster Division in September 1914 being granted a commission in 15 RIR at Ballykinlar around the time of his 24^th birthday.  He arrived in France a year later on the 5 October 1915 and was subsequently involved in the opening attack on the Somme in which his elder brother Cecil (above) was killed.  Later mentioned in dispatches, he came home on leave in January 1917, landing at Folkestone on the 21^st.   Shortly after, “it was found that he was suffering from a serious illness” which he had, “contracted while on active service”.  Just before he was due to return to his battalion on the 31^st, he had visited Dr. H.L.M. Kisack (or H.L. M’Kisack) of 88 University Road, Belfast returning for a second consultation on the 31^st.  Kisack wrote back immediately to report on the findings of the tests he had carried out.  They were not encouraging. “[I] suspect you have what is technically known as “sub-acute nephritis” which is a very serious complaint while it lasts, and if not attended to may cause permanent ill-health and shortened life.  I tell you this so you may understand why I must say that I advise you to have this seen to at once and not to travel to France tomorrow – you should go to bed and have perfect rest and warmth”.  Emphasising the potential seriousness of the situation, Kisack went on, “I think you ought to tell your parents exactly what I have said to you”.

Placed on the sick list on the 1 February, he was due to attend an Army Medical Board at Victoria Barracks, Belfast on the 13^th but this had to be postponed.  Writing to the military authorities his doctor, H.S. Murphy of 45 Castle Street, Lisburn, advising them that WBE was suffering from acute nephritis and that “in my opinion it would be very dangerous for him to leave his bed”.  When the Board did meet on the 19^th it confirmed the diagnosis, concluding that this was due to “exposure and strain” caused by military service.  While the acute symptoms had subsided, he was not considered fit for any form of service either at home or overseas and was confined to bed.

Two months later things were little different.  A second Medical Board meeting in Belfast on the 14 April reported that “he is pale, anaemic and debilitated” and was still not fit for military service.  As a result, he was ordered into the UVF Officers Hospital, Belfast the following Monday, the 16 April, where “a bed is being reserved for you.”  Nearly three months later he was still there.  On the 6 July he wrote to the War Office from the Military Hospital for Officers, 60 Botanic Avenue, Belfast applying for an illness gratuity on the grounds that he had been, “invalided from the British Expeditionary Force, France since 29^th January last suffering from severe Trench Nephritis and although 23 weeks have now elapsed I am still in bed and am unlikely to be able to leave it for some considerable time”.

Another Medical Board held in Belfast on the 22 July reported that he was still suffering from nephritis resulting from severe kidney disease due specifically to, “exposure in [the] trenches” and that it is unlikely he would ever recover although, in their view, he did not requiring “indoor hospital treatment” or to be confined to a convalescent hospital.  On the 8 August the War Office wrote to inform him that because he had been found permanently unfit for service, he would have to give up his commission which he formally relinquished on the 21^st.

Not all was bleak though.  On the 31 July 1917 Willie Ewart married Rebe Annette Grindle, eldest daughter of the late George Annesley Grindle and Mrs. Grindle of Winkton, Christchurch, Hampshire and granddaughter of the late Mr. A.M. Ferrar D.L. of Belfast.  He subsequently traveled to “various places for the benefit of his health” and a year later was staying at the Poeteney [Pulteney?] Hotel in Bath where he was being treated privately.  A Medical Board held at the War Hospital there on the 10 July 1918 report that, “he has improved but albumin is still present and he is dyspuceic on slight exertion and has morning headaches and slight oedema of [the] eyelids.”  In their view his disability, which they assessed as 100%, was permanent and, not surprisingly, he was still unfit for general or home service.  With WBE back at Derryvolgie in December, another Medical Board which sat at Belfast on the 6^th report that he “is making good progress” and that “all symptoms [were] lessening”.  The degree of his disability was now assessed at 50% and was not now considered to be permanent.  With things seeming to be on the mend, the winter was spent in the South of Spain.

He continued to be treated privately but the improvement in his health did not last.  Another Medical Board in Belfast which sat on the 15 May 1919 concluded that his, “condition [was] not as good as when last Boarded on the 6 December 1918.  He is quite unfit for any active or mental occupation and could not undertake the duties of any responsible business or profession at present.  [He] was obliged to spend the last winter in a warm climate (Spain) and it is chiefly owing to this that his condition is as good as it is.”  The degree of disability was assessed to be back at 100% although it was still not considered permanent.

That July (1919) his son was born, however, in October, his health deteriorated again and he returned to Bath to be admitted to a nursing home at 7 Lansdown Crescent on the 3 November.  The next Medical Board he attended was held at Bristol, Regional H.Q on the 28 November 1919.  “A well developed man of 29” it began.  “Complains of headaches, occasional sickness and breathlessness.  He is under the care of Dr. E.J. Cave of Bath who is treating him at the Grand Pump Room Baths, and he thinks he is improving in health slightly”.  Certainly he was not in need of further medical or surgical treatment or “the constant attendance of another person”, and by the 24^th with his weight up to 12st. 3½lbs, he had put on nearly half a stone in the three weeks since his admission.  However, it is possible that this was the result of water retention caused by his nephritis rather than any improvement in his health.

Willie Ewart returned home from Bath in the middle of December.  Five weeks later Dr. Kisack’s prophetic warning given back in January 1917 that he had a condition which, “may cause permanent ill-health and shortened life” was proved correct.  With his father in attendance, he died at Derryvolgie of “chronic Nephritis … [and] cardiac failure” on the 13 February 1920 aged 29.  The bottom line was that in the early 20^th century, medical knowledge and understanding were not sufficiently advanced to successfully treat such a disease in its chronic form.

He was buried on Monday the 16 February 1920 in the family burial ground at Clifton Street, Belfast following a service at the Cathedral in Donegall Street.  The son of Maryanne Ewart and Frederick William Ewart of Derryvolgie, Lisburn, his father ran the firm of William Ewart and Son Ltd., Bedford Street, Belfast.  His eldest brother Major Gerald Valentine Ewart RASC survived the war and received the O.B.E. in the King’s birthday honours in 1919.  He and Wiclif McCready were the executors of his will in which he left the proceeds of his estate, valued at £5380.10.4, to his wife Rebe Annette Ewart during her life time and then to his son.  Unfortunately for them on the 26 May the Inland Revenue wrote to inform them that “the Army Council are unable to recommend the remission of death duties as the provision of Section 14 of the Finance Act 1900 are not wholly fulfilled.”

FARR, Private James.  Born in Glenavy, possibly on the 24 March between 1890 and 1893 he was a farmer by occupation.  Single, literate and in good physical health, he emigrated to the United States in 1909 three years after his father’s death.  Aged 19, he sailed from Liverpool as a steerage passenger on the SS Celtic on the 26 February, arriving in New York on 8 March.  5’ 9” tall he had a fair complexion, fair hair and blue? eyes.  He had never been in the US before, had £4 in his pocket and a ticket for Iowa which had been paid for by his uncle (probably his mother’s brother) Thomas Clendinning of Swea City in the state.  Becoming a resident of Washington County in Iowa, it was almost exactly nine years to the day after arriving in New York that he enlisted in the American Army on the 23 February 1918.  Going first to Camp Dodge where he was placed in the Infantry, he was subsequently transferred to the 35th Division and went overseas in April 1918.  He died of wounds received in action on the 28 September 1918 while involved in the Meuse-Argonne offensive.  He was probably 27 years old.  The son of James Farr who taught in Fourscore N[ational] S[chool] for 38 years and died on the 10.7.06 aged 60, and Ellen Farr nee Clendenning who died on the 30.9.33 aged 70 years, his place of burial or official commemoration are unknown.  However, his death is commemorated on his parent’s headstone in St. Aidan’s Parish Church graveyard, Glenavy and on the village war memorial.

 

FAULKNER, Rifleman John.    Born in Belfast, with an address in Aghnathrisk, Hillsborough, Co. Down and Belfast, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 13 RIR (17626).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France pier 15, faces A/B.

FEIGHAN, Private Michael James.  Born in Coatbridge, Lanark, he lived in Dunmurry, enlisted at Newry and served in the RIrF (5863) before being transferred to 49 Company MGC(I) (73523).  He DoW in Belgium on the 22.8.17 age 24 and is buried in Mendinghem Military Cemetery, Poperinghe, Belgium, plot 4, row F, grave 29.  He was the son of William and Mary Ann Feighan of Scotland and husband of Rose Feighan of 48 Frederick Street, Bessbrook, Co. Armagh.

FENNING, Rifleman James.    Born in Derriaghy, he enlisted at Lisburn, and served in 12 RIR (6341).  KIA in Belgium on the 11.4.18 aged 22, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140.  He was the son of Thomas Fenning of Whitemountain, Lisburn, Co. Antrim, and younger brother of Richard Fenning, below.

FENNING, Private Richard.  Served in the Canadian Grenadier Guards 87 QR CEF (784325).  KIA in France on the 14.8.17 aged 25, his death is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial, France.  He was the eldest son of Thomas Fenning of Whitemountain, Lisburn, Co. Antrim, and brother of James Fenning, above.

FENTON, Private Frederick John.  Served as Coburn, William.  Born and living in Hillsborough, he enlisted at Belfast and served originally in the SR 36271 subsequently transferring to 15 RS (51491).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.4.18 aged 19, his death is commemorated on the Ploegsteert, Memorial, Belgium, panel 1.  He was the foster son of Clara McBride of Arthur Street, Hillsborough, Co. Down.

FENTON, Rifleman John.  Born in Lisburn he lived at 9 Grove Place, Low Road in the town.  He belonged to the Orange Order and UVF, and worked at Hilden Mill.  Enlisting at Lisburn he served in 11 RIR (17630) and embarked with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA in Belgium on the 1.9.16, his death is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium, panel 40.  Mrs. Fenton, his wife, lived at Grove Place, Lisburn and the couples neighbours, William Lindsay and family at number 11, inserted a notice in the Standard on the 22 September 1916, “Deeply regretting” John Fenton’s death.

FERGUSON, Private John B.  Is commemorated on the War Memorial in First Boardmills Presbyterian Church.  No positive trace so far.

 

FERRIS, Private Joseph (Joe).  Born in Lisburn, prior to the war he was a vanman for the Lisburn Co-operative Society.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 IG (10045).  Wounded while in a working party on a railway line, he DoW some days later in France on the 2.12.17 aged 27 and is buried in Tincourt New British Cemetery, France, plot 3, row F, grave 11.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of John and Annie Ferris of 36 Grove Street, Low Road, Lisburn.

FERRIS, Rifleman Samuel.  Born in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RIR (9153).  KIA in Belgium on the 11.11.14 aged 40, his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Belgium.  He was the husband of Catherine Ferris of 914 Crumlin Road, Ballysillan, Belfast.

FINNEGAN, Private Robert Thomas.  Born in Shankill, he lived and enlisted at Belfast, served in the RASC (M2/274193) and was attached to the 110 Field Ambulance, RAMC.  He DoW in German hands at Grand Seracourt on the Somme on the 21.3.18 age 19 and is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France, panel 95.  He was the son of John Maxwell Finnegan and Susan Wilson Finnegan.  In June 1920, his mother unveiled the War Memorial in Boardmills Second Presbyterian Church on which his death is also commemorated.  At the service the Rev. Robert Kelso explained the circumstances in which he had died.  “Mortally wounded at Grand Seracourt, he … could have saved himself … had he retired without his wounded, but that Robert Finnegan would not do, and little further was known beyond the fact that he died after capture”.  His name was included on the memorial at Boardmills “on account of his long association with their manse”, where his maternal grandfather had been a pastor.

 

FITZSIMONS, Rifleman James.  Born in Lambeg, Co. Antrim, he lived in Belfast, enlisted at Lisburn and served in C Company 2 RIR (5367).  KIA in Belgium on the 12.12.16 aged 31, he is buried in Hyde Park Corner Cemetery, Belgium, row A, grave 13.  The headstone inscription reads, “On his soul Jesus have mercy.  Remembered by his wife and little daughter”.  He was the husband of Catherine Fitzsimmons of 22 Shore Street, Belfast and son of James and Mary Anne Fitzsimons, nee Hilden, of Lisburn.

FITZSIMONS, Lance corporal John.  Born in Blaris, he lived at Craigavad Post Office, Co. Down, enlisted at Belfast and served in 7 RIR (5809).  He DoW in France (possibly wounded in Belgium) on the 25.2.17 aged 19 and is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, France, (close to the Franco-Belgium frontier)  plot 3, row A, grave 14.  The headstone inscription reads, “Not gone from memory or from love”.  He was the son of Martin and Susan Fitzsimmons of Dalchoolin, Craigavad, Co. Down.

FLANAGAN, Lance Corporal Hugh.    Born in Ballymena, he lived in Belfast, enlisted at Antrim and served in NIH (1508) before transferring to 9 RIrF (41229).  KIA in France on the 22.11.17 age 21, his death is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial, Louverval, Nord, France, panel 10.  He was the son of Robert Henry and Martha Flanagan of 129 Dunluce Avenue, Belfast and brother of William Flanagan, below.

FLANAGAN, Lance corporal Joseph.  Born in Tullylush, Co. Down, he lived at Bessbrook, Co. Armagh, enlisted at Lisburn and served in 8 RDF (15673).  KIA on the Somme on the 9.9.16, he is buried in the Guards Cemetery, Lesboeufs, France, plot 11, row N, grave 7.  There is no headstone inscription.

FLANAGAN,  Rifleman William Henry Murray.    Enlisted at Belfast possibly in 11 RIR and served in 12 RIR (10310).  He may have embarked for France from Bordon Camp with 11 RIR in October 1915.  KIA in Belgium on the 13.4.18 age 23, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, Belgium, panels 138 to 140 and 162 to 162A and 163A.  He was the son of Robert Henry and Martha Flanagan of 129 Dunluce Avenue, Belfast and brother of Hugh Flanagan, above.

FLEMING  Private James.  He lived at Aughnahough (just outside Lisburn on the Glenavy Road), served in 11 RIR and embarked with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  He was subsequently KIA but there is no further trace so far.

FLEMING, Corporal Richard.  He lived at Aughnahough (just outside Lisburn on the Glenavy Road), served in the Canadian Grenadier Guards and was KIA.  There is no further trace so far.

 

FLEMMING, Lance Corporal John.  Born and living in Crumlin, he was a member of the Orange Order in Glenavy.  He enlisted at Antrim and served in D Company 11 RIR (19490) embarking with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Listed as missing and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 26, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France pier and face 15 A and B.  He was the son of James Fleming of Main Street, Crumlin, and the late Mary Fleming.

 

FLETCHER, Rifleman R.  Served in 7 RIR (6049) and died at “home” on the 24.10.20.  He is buried in Blaris Old Cemetery, Lisburn, grave 374 and was the son of Robert Fletcher of Blaris.

FLOYD, Private Charles.    Born in Shankill, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 6 RInF (11367).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 16.8.15, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 97-101.

FLYNN, G.E.  Served in the RIR.  His death is commemorated on the War memorial in Lisburn Cathedral.  There is no positive trace so far.

FORSYTHE, Rifleman John Alexander.  Born in Dromara, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 10 RIR (1770).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.

FORSYTHE, Private John.   Born in Castlewellan, Co. Down, he lived at Lambeg, enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RDF (7837).  KIA in Belgium on the 26.4.15, his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Belgium, panels 44-46.

FRASER, Private Ebenezer.  Born in Hillsborough, he lived at Belturbet, Co. Cavan, enlisted at Cavan and served in 1 RIrF (3047).  He DoW in France on the 22.5.15 and is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, (close to the Franco-Belgium frontier) plot 1, row A, grave 40.  There is no headstone inscription.

FRAZER, Lance corporal William John.  Born in Lisburn where he lived at Chapel Hill, he was a reservist, enlisted in the town and served in C Company 1 RIR (4579).  Wounded in July 1916 he was KIA at Ypres in Belgium on the 7.7.17 and his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Panels 138-140.  Son of Robert and Sarah Frazer of 72 Chapel Hill, Lisburn, and husband of Lizzie Frazer of 67 Longstone Street, Lisburn, they had four young children.  She was informed by one of his comrades that, “he had been given a Christian burial”.  Lizzie Frazer inserted the following poem in the Herald on the 28 July 1917 along with her husband’s death notice.  “No more we’ll clasp they loving hand, Nor hear the voice now stilled, Till we reach the land where you’ll proudly stand, Midst earth’s heroes in action killed”.  The following week a much longer poem placed by J.R. Mulholland, a friend of Bob Frazer appeared, dedicated “to the memory of William Frazer, late of Longstone, Fell in Action, July 7^th 1917.  In the ‘Herald’ I read of another gone home, That once played by the Lagan and the fields round Longstone; I chummed with his father, we played there as boys, We then knew no sorrow, but shared other joys.  We grew up to manhood, in the same Lodge we sat, Those bright days spent together, I shall never forget; We seldom were sundered, till Bob Frazer got wed, Then he settled in peace, and I found breakers ahead.  And now in his sorrow, as I shared in his joy, I sympathise with him in the loss of his boy; And though gone forever, he is not gone alone, But joins many a comrade raised in Longstone.  We know they are fallen, we can’t stifle the sigh, With young hopes they left us, yet they knew how to die;  We are not there beside them, to stand by the bier, But brave hands will tend them, kind hearts force the tear.  There are few homes in Lisburn where the eyes are all dry, And the heart of the scoffer, be it flint, can’t deny, They went forth in young manhood, left the loved ones behind, To fight for the Homeland, or a grave for to find.  They are just gone before us, we have all got to go, And how few there are of us but would like to die so, With a heart filled with freedom, as its last breath it draws, And sheds its last life-drop in so Holy a cause”.  This was followed on the 11 August by a death notice inserted by “his sorrowing chum, Rifleman James Kennedy (5231) 1^st Batt. Royal Irish Rifles (on active service)”.  It read, “Better love hath no man than this to lay down his life for his friends”.  James Kennedy appears to have survived the war.

FRYER, Rifleman Edward.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in B Company 9 RIR (14627).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 22, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  He was the son of Robert, a flaxdresser, and Sarah Fryer of 8 Tenth Street, Belfast.

FULTON, Rifleman, Thomas.  Born in Kinallen, Co. Down, he lived at Dromore, Co. Down, enlisted at Belfast and served in 8 RIR (8/6172).  KIA in Belgium on the 4.8.16 age 24, he is buried in Ration Farm (La Plus Douve) Annexe, Heuvelland, Belgium, plot 3, row B, grave 4.  He was the son of John Fulton of Kinallen, Dromara, Co. Down.

FURFEY, Private Patrick.  Born in Lurgan, he lived on the Old Hillsborough Road, Lisburn.  A well known cross country runner, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RInF (10496), representing his regiment in the Eastern Command, South of Thames Cross-country Championship.  KIA at Ypres, Belgium on the 27.10.14, his death is commemorated on Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium, panel 9.  His nok appears to have been his sister.

GARVEY, Driver Thomas.  Born in Lisburn, he lived and enlisted at Belfast and served in 7 LR (1579) before being transferred to 51st. Field Bakery RASC (T4/045364).  He died at “home” on the 4.10.15 and is buried in Netley Military Cemetery, Hants, grave 858.

GAW, Sergeant Adam.  MM and bar.  Born in Lancashire on the 1 May 1897, “he was a member of a Lambeg which emigrated to Canada some years ago.”  A steamfitter by trade and a single man, he enlisted at Toronto on the 15 July 1915 aged eighteen years and 4 months.  Although he was a member of the Militia, he had no previous military experience.  5’ 7¼” tall, he had a 37” chest with 4” range of expansion, fair complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair.  Posted to 3 COR, C.I. (138579), according to the Standard he won the MM when he was still 19 and was promoted to Sergeant in the field.  KIA on the 2.9.18 aged 21, his death is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial, France.  He was the son of John and Susan Gaw of 55 Welland Avenue, Moore Park, Toronto.  Three brothers also served in the Canadian Army. James who was born in Belfast in 1889, Thomas in Lancashire in 1893 and William, also in Lancashire the following year.

GAWLEY, Private Patrick.  Born in Ballinderry, Co. Antrim, he lived and enlisted at Belfast and served in 6 CR (3942).  KIA in Belgium on the 4.6.17, his death is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium, panel 42.

GEORGE, Private James.  Born and living in Belfast, he enlisted at Glasgow and served in 2 CR (6940).  He DoW on the 29.10.14 age 38 and is buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Pas De Calais, France, plot 3, row B, grave 4.  He was the husband of Mary George of Tullynore, Hillsborough, Co. Down.

GIBSON, Lance corporal James.    Born in Hillsborough, he lived at Northampton, enlisted at Ayr and served in 6/7 RSF (12499).  He died in Belgium on the 1.8.17 aged 32 and is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium, panels 19 and 33.  He was the son of Thomas and Annie Gibson of The Park, Hillsborough, Co. Down and husband of Naomi Gibson, The Villas, Dilwyn, Leominster, Herefordshire.

GIBSON, Signaler/Private John Alexander.  Born Shankill, Belfast, he lived at 49 Sloan Street, Lisburn and was employed at William Barbours of Hilden.  He enlisted at Lisburn and served in 9 RIR (18/452).  KIA “instantaneously” according to the death notice inserted in the Standard on the 4 May, in Belgium on the 6.4.17 aged 19, he was buried in Pond Farm Cemetery, Wulverghem, Belgium, row L, grave 5.  He was the eldest son of Alexander (Alex) and Jane Gibson of 49 Sloan Street, Lisburn and later of 37 Agincourt Street, Belfast.  The death notice in the Standard inserted by his parents included the following poem, “The news was sad, the blow was hard, God’s will, it shall be done; With a manly heart he did his part, Our dear, beloved son”.

GIBSON, Private Thomas.  Served in 2 RIrF or 2 RInF he lived at Ballylesson.  KIA, possibly in Salonica, there is no further trace so far.

GIBSON, Sergeant William John.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 1 RIR (8846).  KIA in Belgium on the 7.9.18 aged 24, his death is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium, panel 9.  He was the son of William John and Harriett Gibson of 49 Donegall Avenue, Belfast.

GILL, Private Henry Albert George (Harry/Albert).  Born at 102 Newtownards Road, Belfast, between November 1887 and July 1888, he was the son of Mary Agnes Gill.  He attended the Intermediate School, Queens College, Royal _ _ _ _ _ of Ireland and, when he was 24, emigrated to Australia where he had cousins, also called Gill, living at Tamworth, Sydney and Emu Creek, Melbourne.  He probably landing at Brisbane in Queensland and subsequently worked as a farm labourer.  Certainly, when he enlisted at Brisbane on the 16 September 1914 aged 26 years and 2 or 10 months, he had no previous military experience.  5’ 10½” tall, he weighed 137 lbs. and had a chest measurement of 33 ” to 35½”.  His complexion was dark and he had hazel eyes and brown hair.  Posted to the 15th. Australian Infantry (598), he embarked at Melbourne on HMAT (His Majesty’s Australian Transport?) “Ceramic” on the 22.12.14.  Reported missing from the 8.8.15, a court of enquiry sitting at Serapoum (in Egypt?) on the 5.5.16 confirmed that he had been KIA in Gallipoli on the 8.8.15 aged 29.  His death is commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli, panel 46.

In his will Albert Gill left, “the whole of my property and effects and all my money to my mother … [and] in case of my mother’s death to my sister Eva”.  There was not much to leave.  The single packet of belongings eventually returned to his mother included, a New Testament, match box, rubber stamp, 3 bracelets, 1 anklet, a purse, diary, 2 hair brushes, a razor, letters, military book, cards, French Grammar, an English/Arabic manuel, pocket notes and a silk shawl.  The Testament though may well have been of particular value.  In the biographical details given by his mother to the Australian War Memorial she said, “He was one of the best and one of the few – my liberal minded large hearted son.  Without delay he went at the call of duty.  His letters from the Dardanelles were always cheerful.  The last letter we received from him was dated 30th. July 1915 then he was reported missing from 8th. August and in November we received a letter from a pioneer Sergt of the London Regiment who wrote that he had found my son and buried him and that he seemed to have had an easy death.  He was lying on his side and in his outstretched hand he had a copy of the New Testament.  The book was officially forwarded to me, it was the Book we had sent my son with his name and home address written therein, the mark of his thumb is on the mouldering cover of the book.  This is all that has come to me from [his] death.”  A covering letter sent by Gill’s sister Eva from 102 Newtownards Road, Belfast on the 3rd. March 1920 to the authorities in Australia reads, “herewith I return you the form for Roll of Honour and for the Histories of Australia with the particulars filled in by my mother as requested about our beloved Albert.  This is all we know as yet, and if later we learn of any other details that might be of interest to you we will send you.  We still are _ _ _ _  for news of him – his _ _ _ _ _ stood, a big warm loving shelter[?] for us all.  His life _ _ _ _ _ and in Australia was a daily self-sacrifice for us the light and joy of our old home went with our Albert – our best[?]  _ _ _ _ _  We send you his photo _ _ _ _ _ and hope it may be possible for it to be inserted, and if you will please let us know that you receive them safely.  My mother is out at our home in the country at present with my youngest _ _ _ _ _ who is an invalid now.  Thank you for your kind remembrance, Yours sincerely G.E.M[?] Gill (Eva)”.  In 1916 Mary Gill was awarded a pension of £2 per fortnight.

GILL, Rifleman William.    Born in Dromore, he lived at Ballyskeagh, Lambeg, where, before the war, he had been a damask weaver.  Enlisting at Lisburn, he served in 11 RIR (3006) and embarked with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA in Belgium on the 9.8.16, the Rev. J.G. Paton a Presbyterian chaplain wrote to his wife informing her that he, “was killed by a trench mortar bomb which burst close beside him and that death was instantaneous.  I conducted a burial service yesterday [and] he is buried in a perfect little cemetery on the hillside.  As you know he did his duty well in the big battle of the 1^st July, and he always bore himself as a soldier and a man, earning the goodwill of all who knew him.  He has now made the great sacrifice, and you have every reason to be proud of him”.  William Gill is buried in Ration Farm Cemetery Annex, Belgium, plot 3, row B, grave 5.  The husband of Mrs. Gill of Ballyskeagh, they had five young children, and the son of Joseph and Mrs. E. Gill also of Ballyskeagh.  In addition, he had three brothers all living at Ballyskeagh and all serving as Riflemen in the RIR.  They too had enlisted at the start of the war, David and Robert (along with William) in the 11th battalion (South Antrim Volunteers), and they embarked with him for France from Bordon in October 1915.  James served in the “regulars”.  David, who had been promoted to Lance Corporal in B Company, and James, were both wounded on the 1.7.16.  Robert was also involved in the fighting that day but was unhurt.  All three appear to have survived the war.

GILLESPIE, Sergeant Frederick (Fred) Joseph.    Probably lived at Ballycrune, Hillsborough, Co. Down and served in the 1st. Field Ambulance, South African Medical Corps, South African Expeditionary Force, (86).  He DoW received while on duty in France on the 12.11.18 aged 37 and is buried in Tincourt New British Cemetery, France, plot 6, row D, grave 6.  The headstone inscription reads, “Pro aris et focis”.  He was the son of the late Joseph and Mary Gillespie, Carney, Co. Sligo and brother of Pvt. Victor Gillespie, below.

GILLESPIE, Private Maurice.    Born in Banbridge on the 29.12.1888, he was an old scholar of Friends’ School, Lisburn which he entered in September 1904.  His report at the start noted that “he was not used to strict discipline” but comments subsequently improved.  He left FSL on the 22.12.05.  A single man and a teamster, his address was 25 Magill Street, Toronto, Canada.  He enlisted on the 6.4.1916 and at the time was in the 10th. G?ons (the militia) in which he had served for two years.  5’ 8½” tall, his chest was 37” fully expanded with a range of expansion of  2½”.  He had a fair complexion with blue eyes and brown hair. He served in B Company 58 Canadian Infantry, 2 COR, (249282) and DoW received in action near Cambrai on the 13.10.18 aged 29.  He is buried in Etaples Military Cemetery, France, plot 67, row J?, grave 22.  His headstone inscription reads, “To the dear memory of my darling son, safe in God’s keeping, Mother”.  He was the only son of Kathleen and the late Thomas Gillespie of Banbridge, Co. Down.  Kathleen Gillespie (his mother) also had an address at 36 Garville Avenue, Dublin.

GILLESPIE, Lance Corporal Robert Cecil Victor.    Born in Lisburn, he lived at Seymour Street in the town, although he was “in business” in Sheffield when the War broke out.  He enlisted there and served originally in the NF (27250) before transferring to 7 EYR (28991).  KIA in France on the 4.11.18 he is buried in Romeries Communal Cemetery Extension, France, plot 5, row E, grave 9.  He was the third son of Mr. W.J. Gillespie of Bow Street, Lisburn who was only informed of his son’s death three days after the Armistice.  “It appears that your son along with four others was in a dugout when a shell burst near, killing them all by concussion”, wrote Captain Williamson to his father.  “I can assure you of my deepest sympathy …”.  Two brothers also saw active service.  CQMS John E.S. Gillespie was discharged from the army shortly before his brother’s death as medically unfit for duty.  He had served for four years.  His eldest brother, Private Charles Gillespie, Royal Marines, H.M.S. Duke of Edinburgh, had been in action during the Battle of Jutland.

GILLESPIE, Private Victor Allan.  Born in Monaghan, Co. Monaghan on the 3.8.1890 he was a single man and a bank clerk by profession who enlisted at Montreal on the 14.12.1915. 5’ 7½” tall, his chest was 37½”  fully expanded with a range of expansion of 3½”.  He had a dark complexion with blue eyes and brown hair, dark hair on his chest, abdomen and legs, a scar from an operation for appendicitis and a burn mark on the left hand side of his neck.  At the time of enlistment he was in the 35th. Al[ber]ta Light Horse. Posted to the 5th. Overseas Universities Company CEF, he served with PPCLI, EOR, CEF (487408). He DoW received in action in France on the 1.10.17 aged 27 and is buried in Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension, France, plot 3, row F, grave 16.  He was the son of the late Joseph and Mary Gillespie of Ballycrune, Hillsborough, subsequently of Sligo, and brother of Frederick Gillespie, above.

GILLESPIE, Stoker 1st. Class William John.  He served in the Royal Navy on HMS Hawke (SS/107919.  RFR/CH/B/10369) and was KIA in an engagement with a submarine in the North Sea on the 15.10.14 age 30.  His death is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent, panel 5.  He was the son of William and Maria Gillespie of Dunmurry, Co. Antrim.  The Hawke an old cruiser was torpedoed with the loss of all but 21 of her crew.  Stoker Edward Crossin (above) was killed in the same action.  The sinking of the Hawke, and a month earlier the Cressy (on which Joshua Singleton died), the Hogue and Aboukir by the German submarine U9 (or U29), convinced both sides that the submarine was a potent weapon.  In March 1915 the Standard carried an article in which it was reported that, “The Aboukir, Cressy and Hogue have been avenged.  The submarine U29, which sank these boats, has been sent to the bottom with all hands … This cheerful news has been published by the Admiralty, and may be taken as a fact, though the Admiralty, always careful in their choice of language, only state, ‘they have good reason to believe’ that the German submarine U29 has been sunk”.

GILLILAND, Private David.  Born in Lisburn, he lived at Belfast, enlisted at Hollywood and served originally in the RIR (7248) before transferring to 1 RIrF (3783).  He DoW in Belgium on the 9.4.18 aged 36 and is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinghe, Belgium, plot 26, row E, grave 16A.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of James and Agnes Gilliland and husband of Margaret Gilliland.

GLOVER, Driver Thomas H.  Born in Ballinderry, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 82 Battery RFA (52357).  KIA in Mesopotamia on the 28.9.15 age 27, his death is commemorated on the Basra Memorial, Iraq, panels 3 and 60.  He was the son of Matthew and Mary Glover of Lower Ballinderry, Lisburn.  His death is also commemorated on a headstone erected by his nephew Frederick McNeice in Middle Church graveyard, Ballinderry and on the family headstone in Aghalee burial ground.

GOODFELLOW, Lance Corporal James.  Born in Belfast on the 6.12.1889 he was a single man and a clerk by trade when he enlisted at Niagra Camp on the 14.7.15.  A member of the malitia but with no previous military experience, he was 5’ 9” tall with a 37” chest fully expanded and a 2” range of expansion, had a medium complexion, blue eyes and dark brown hair.  Posted to the 7th Coy. Canadian Machine Gun Corps (404842) he died on the 8.10.16 aged 26.  He was the son of Mrs. Louisa Goodfellow of 45 Abingdon Street, Belfast and the late James Goodfellow.  His death is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial and on the family headstone in Lisburn Cemetery. James Goodfellow snr. died on the 4.11.1898 aged 43, his widow Louisa on the 9.5.1928 aged 67.  His sister Kathleen who would have been17 when he was killed died in 1993 aged 94 and is buried in Lisburn Cemetery along with her parents.

 

GORMAN, Rifleman Daniel.  Born in Blaris, he lived at 14 Canal Street, in the town, where he was a member of the South Antrim Volunteers, the local UVF battalion.  He enlisted soon after the start of the war, serving in D Company 11 RIR (3026), embarking for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on Thiepval Memorial, France pier 15, faces A/B.  He was survived by his father John of 14 Canal Street Lisburn, and by his sister and brother-in-law Isabella and John Totten of Canal Street.  His brother-in-law also saw active service.

GORMAN, Lance corporal George.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 10 RIR (14713).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.

GORMAN, Rifleman Gilbert.    Born in Dromara, Co. Down, he lived at Moybrick, (south-west of Dromara), enlisted at Belfast and served in 16 RIR (87).  He DoW in France on the 22.8.16 age 37 and is buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, plot 8, row B, grave 156.  He was the son of Gilbert and Margaret Jane Gorman of Moybrick, Dromara, Ballynahinch, Co. Down.

GORMAN, Private William (Willie) J. R.  Born in Bangor, on the 23.12.1892, he was a single man and a salesman by profession.  5’ 8½” in height with a 36½” chest and 3” expansion, he had dark hair, a dark complexion and grey eyes.  With no previous military experience he enlisted at Winnipeg on the 26.7.15 aged 22.  Posted to the 79 Overseas Battalion on the 1.9.15, he served in the 8 CI MtbaR (150090).  Killed in France on the 7.2.17 aged 24, he is buried in Fosse No. 10 Communal Cemetery Extension, Sains-en-Gohelle, Pas de Calais, France, plot 1, row B, grave 38.  Sains-en-Gohelle is a mining village 20 kilometres north of Arras on the road to Bethune.  Fosse No. 10 was a pithead and group of miners’ houses south of the village.  He was the son of Thomas B. Gorman of 19 Bridge Street, Bangor.  He was also the grandson of Philip Gorman who died on the 30.5.07 aged 90, and Anne Jane Gorman who died on the 26.2.1897 on whose headstone in Broomhedge Parish church graveyard his death is commemorated.

 

GRAHAM, Rifleman Hedley William Brownrigg.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 10 RIR (14729).  He DoW in France on the 22.12.15 and was buried in Mailly Mallet Communal Cemetery on the Somme although his death is now commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  It was also remembered by Wesley Graham of 66 Melrose Street, Belfast in an In Memoriam notice in the Herald on the 22.12.17.

GRAHAM, Lieutenant James Lawson.  Gazetted to the Inniskillings in August 1915 he served in 9 RInF.  Wounded at the Somme in 1916 he was promoted to Lieutenant in July 1917 and DoW at Dadizelle in Belgium on the 30.9.18 aged 27.  His death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, Panels 70-2, also on a special memorial erected just inside the gate of 2nd. Boardmills Presbyterian church.  The inscription on it reads, “Sans peur et sans reproche.  Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life”.  He was the son of Samuel J and Agnes Graham of Maple Vale, Boardmills, Co. Down and nephew of Dr. James Graham the City Coroner for Belfast.  At the unveiling of the memorial to him at Boardmills in June 1920 Lieutenant Colonel Knox of the 9 RInF described, “the operations in which [James Graham] … met his death. … The previous day they had pushed the enemy out of [the Ypres Salient], and advanced for over nine miles.  There was a thick fog in the morning … and a hollow came between them and their objective.  They could just see the spire of a church, which was the direction of their advance.  Lieutenant Graham was commanding a company which he led and the advance was met with very heavy fire.  Late in the afternoon he heard that Lieutenant Graham was being carried down on a stretcher, and was able to see him; he knew that the young officer was severely wounded, he was then unconscious, and died a short time afterwards. … From reports he received later he learned that on the day he was killed Lieutenant Graham was the officer responsible for finally pushing the Germans out of the position, and everyone spoke highly of the way he encouraged his men forward and went about regardless of himself under heavy fire”.

GRAHAM, Sapper John.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 71st. Field Company RE (42227).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 25.7.15 aged 39, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 23-25.  He was the husband of Agnes Graham of 11 Mayfield Street, Lisburn Road, Belfast.

GRAHAM, Petty Officer Motor Mechanic Skeffington T.C.  Served in the Russian Armoured Car Brigade, Royal Naval Air Service (F/2852).  He died of dysentery in hospital whilst a PoW in Turkey on the 1.1.17 age 32.  He was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Robert Graham of Dunmurry and husband of Mary J. S. Graham of 164 Alton Avenue, Toronto, Canada.  He is buried in Haidar Pasha Cemetery, Turkey, plot 1, row L, grave 10.  Haidar Pasha is a suburb of Istanbul between Scutari (Uskudar) and Kadikoy on the Asiatic side of the Bosphorous.  Haidar Pasha Cemetery was first established for Crimean war burials and was used during the First World War by the Turks for the burial of Commonwealth prisoners of war.  After the Armistice, when Istanbul was occupied, further burials were made mainly from No 82 General Hospital and graves were brought in from other civil cemeteries in the area.

GRAHAM, Corporal Thomas.    Born in Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, he lived at Dunmurry, enlisted at Lisburn, and may have embarked for France from Bordon Camp as a riflemen in 11 RIR in October 1915.  He served in B Company 12 RIR (17756) and was KIA in Belgium on the 14.4.18 age 22.  He is buried in Wulverghem-Lindenhoek Road Military Cemetery, Belgium, plot 4, row C, grave 1 and was the son of William and Mary Jane Graham of 12 Milfort Avenue, Dunmurry, and brother of William George Graham, below.

 

GRAHAM, Rifleman Thomas.  Born in Shankill, Belfast, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 1 RIR (5057).  KIA in France on the 11.3.15 aged 18, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France, panels 42 and 43.  He was the son of Jane Graham, formerly McGowan of 15 Market Lane, Lisburn and the late Edward Graham. A year and a half later Jane Graham was to loose a second son, Private James McGowan who was KIA on the Somme on the 12.10.16.  (See below).  This means that she had been widowed twice and lost two sons in the war.

GRAHAM, Lieutenant Colonel William.  He served in the RAMC and died on the 5.11.17.  He is buried in Dundrod Presbyterian Churchyard, grave 13.

GRAHAM, 2nd. Lieutenant William John.  Posted to 18 RIR and attached to 12 RIR, he was KIA in France on the 22.11.17 age 26.  His death is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial, France, panel 10 and also on the family headstone in Derriaghy Parish church graveyard.  The inscription reads, “Thy will be done”.  He was the son of William and Mary Nelson Graham of 67 Coolderry Street, Donegall Road, Belfast.  Mary Graham died on the 14.10.37.  His brother Robert N. Graham died on the 9.2.15 and sister Agnes G. Watson died on the 20.2.28.

GRAHAM  Private William George.  Born in Derrylorgan, Co. Tyrone, he enlisted at Cookstown and served in A Company 1 RInF (3768).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 21.8.15 age 24, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 97 to 101.  He was the son of Mary J. Graham of 12 Milfort Avenue, Dunmurry and the late William Graham, and brother of Corporal Thomas Graham, above.

 

GRANT, Rifleman John.  Born in Mulliban, Co. Down, he lived at Finnis, Co. Down, enlisted at Downpatrick, and served in 6 RIR (778).  He died at “home” on the 28.10.18 age 28 and is buried in Leitrim Roman Catholic Churchyard, County Down.  He was the son of Patrick and Bridget Grant and husband of Mary Ann Grant of Dromara, Co. Down.

GRANT, Private William H.  Born in Blaris, Co. Down, he enlisted at Kirkintilloch, Dumbartonshire and served in 2 BW (3.4032).  KIA in France on the 13.5.15, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France, panels 24-26.

GRANT, Private William John.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RInF (10266).  He DoW in France on the 5.7.16 and is buried in Abbeville Communal Cemetery, France, plot 4, row C, grave 13.

GRAY, Rifleman Robert John.  Born in Lisburn where he lived, he enlisted in the town and served in 11 RIR, embarking with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Subsequently transferred to 12 RIR (17679), when 11 RIR were disbanded, he was KIA in Belgium on the 15.4.18.  His death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140.  He was the son of John Gray of Wilson Street, Low Road, Lisburn and formerly of Tullynacross.

 

GRAY, Rifleman Thomas.  Born and living in Ballycoan, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 14 RIR (YCV) (I4732).  He died at “home” on the 23.5.16 age 23 and is buried in Drumbo (Holy Trinity) Church of Ireland Churchyard.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of George and Agnes Gray of Ballycoan, Purdysburn, Belfast.  His Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone is laid flat on the family plot to the left of the path a little inside the gate of the church.  Family burials in it date from 1961.

GRAY, Sergeant William Blackstock.  Served in 25 Squadron, RAF (36080).  He DoW in France on the 15.8.18 aged 19 and is buried in Huby-St. Leu British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, row D, grave 3.  He was the son of John A. and Margaret Gray of Milltown Cottage, Shaws Bridge, Belfast and grandson of the late Thomas Gray of Giant’s Ring House, Ballylesson, Lisburn.  Huby-St Leu British Cemetery is 2 kilometres from Hesdin on the road to St Omer.

 

GREEN, Driver G. MM.   Served in 71 Battery RFA (99824).  He died on the 30.11.18 age 33 and is buried in Upper Ballinderry Presbyterian Churchyard, grave 25.  He was the son of Robert and Agnes Green.  The headstone inscription reads, “In the midst of life we are in death”.

GREEN, 2nd. Lieutenant Harold.  Born in Lurgan on the 7.7.1892 he was educated at Lurgan College and Friends’ School, Lisburn which he entered on the 13.9.04.    His school reports show that his conduct was generally “satisfactory” but his work left something to be desired.  23.12.04 “He does not display sufficient earnestness in his class work, and we think he might have taken a better place in the late examination”.  21.7.05 “We think that his work except in French has not been altogether satisfactory.  Conduct generally satisfactory”.  In May 1905, aged 12 years and 10 months, he “gained an entrance scholarship at York”.  (Bootham School is run by the Quakers there).  However, on 16.7.05, “he was found ‘bullying’ a crippled boy and was whipped.  His mother came up on the 18th to complain of this and his father brought the matter of corporal punishment up at the meetings of our Committee in July and August”.  The final report dated 1.9.05 records that, “We do not consider that he worked as well as he might have done; and we think that he ought to have gained a better position in his form.  He was sent in for the Second Class Certificate Examination of the College of Preceptors, but he only gained a Third Class Certificate”.  There is no date given for his leaving FSL but he does appear to have continued his education at Bootham.  KIA in France on the 28.2.17 while serving in 1 RDF, he was age 24.  The son of William John and Susan E. Green of Kinnego, Lurgan, Co. Armagh, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 16C.

GREEN, Rifleman Thomas.  Born and living in Dunmurry, before joining up he was an apprentice tenter at the Milfort Weaving Company in the village.  He enlisted at Lisburn in 11 RIR and embarked with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Wounded in the right leg by shrapenel on the 1.7.16 while serving in the Lewis Gun Section, he recovered in Bramshott Military Hospital.  Transferred to B Company 12 RIR (17766) he died in France on the 10.10.18 age 24 and is buried in Hautmont Communal Cemetery, Nord, France plot 4, row B, grave 36.  He was the eldest son of Robert H. and Annie Green of Church View Terrace, Dunmurry and later of 57 Donegall Street, Belfast

GREER, Rifleman Frederick William Martin.  Born in Doncaster, York, he lived at Lurgan, Co. Armagh.  An employee of the Ulster Bank, Belfast, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 14 RIR (YCV) (14/17771).  KIA in Belgium on the 9.10.16 age 25, he is buried in Pond Farm Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, row D, grave 14.  He was the son of the late Thomas Greer of Culcavey, Hillsborough, Co. Down, and of Mary Greer of Beresford House, Coleraine.

GREGG, Driver Louis Arthur.    Commemorated on the War Memorial in Christ Church, Lisburn, there is no positive trace so far.

GREGG, Rifleman John William.  Born in Hillsborough, he lived at Ballykeel, Co. Down, enlisted at Belfast and served in C Company 13 RIR (16533).  He DoW at home on the 12.10.16 aged 27 and is buried in St. Malachi Parish Church graveyard, Hillsborough.  He was the son of James and Lucy Gregg of Ballykeel, Artifinny, Hillsborough.  His sisters Emma and Maggie, also of Ballykeel, Artifinny, had the following poem included with an In memoriam notice they placed in the Herald on the 13.10.17.  “Days of sadness still come o’er us, Unseen tears do often flow; Still memory keeps that loved one near us, Though he died one year ago.  At the river’s crystal brink, Christ shall join each broken link”

GREGG, Driver Thomas L.  Born in Hillsborough, he lived at Lisburn, enlisted at Belfast and served in the 7th. Division Train Horse Transport, RASC (T1/334).  He died of pneumonia in Italy on the 18.10.18 on his way home and is buried in Montecchio Precalcino Communal Cemetery Extension, Italy, plot 7, row B, grave 2.

GRIBBEN  Private William.  Born and living in Lisburn, he was a hairdresser by occupation, and shortly after the outbreak of war enlisted at Belfast in the CR (69777).  Subsequently transferred on request to 7 RInF (43223) he was involved in the fighting at Guillemont and Ginchy on the Somme in 1916 before “contracting fever” and coming home for a few weeks.  Also involved at Messines on the 7 June 1917, he was KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17.  His death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial Zonnebeke, Belgium panels 70 to 72.  The eldest son of the late Charles Henry Gribben, himself a hairdresser, of Dublin Road, Lisburn, and Catherine Gribben of 5 Manor Street, Longstone, Lisburn, his brother Trooper Samuel Gribben of the Inniskilling Dragoons was at home on leave at the time of his death.  On the second anniversary of his death his mother inserted the following In Memoriam notice in the Herald.  “In the old home you are fondly remembered, Sweet, happy memories cling round your name; True hearts that loved you with deepest affection Always shall love you in death just the same.  He is gone, oh, how hard, and no mother to be near To hear his last word or to dry his last tear; No parting farewell, no kind words of love, To cheer his last moments or point him above”.

 

GRIFFIN,  Rifleman Albert.  Born in Blaris, he lived and enlisted at Lisburn and served in the Lewis Gun Section 2 RIR (5930).  Reported missing from the 24.3.18 and still listed as missing on the 17.5.18 he was subsequently confirmed as having DoW in Germany on the 24.3.18.  His death is commemorated on Pozieres Memorial, France, panels 74-6, also on the headstone of his parents grave in Blaris old Cemetery.  His mother, Mary Griffin died on the 29.10.20, his father, Thomas James, on the 27.3.42.  They had lived at 41 Sloan Street, Lisburn and had another son serving in the RE.  On the 10 May they had a short notice included in the Standard saying that they, “would be glad to receive further news”.  Probably the brother of Thomas Griffin, below, who died four days later.

GRIFFIN, Lance Corporal Thomas.  Born in Ballinderry Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast, probably in 1914 and served in 36 Signal Company RE (57969).  KIA in France on the 28.3.18, his death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France, panels 10 to 13.  He was probably the brother of Albert Griffin (above) and son of Mary and Thomas James Griffin who lived at 41 Sloan Street, Lisburn and are buried in Blaris Old Cemetery.

GRIGGS, Lance sergeant Archibald Nelson.  Born in Hillsborough, he enlisted at Kent and served in 2 SeH (1244).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 20, he is buried in the A.I.F. Burial Ground, Grass Lane, Flers, plot 6, row H, grave 2.  The headstone inscription reads, “Greater love hath no man”.  He was the son of Mr. E.H. and Mrs. K.E. Griggs of Ivy Cottage, Glen Avenue, Hearne Bay, Kent.  The A.I.F. Burial Ground is some way from area where 2 SeH were engaged on the 1.7.16.  They were involved in the attack just north of Beaumont Hamel.  He is probably buried there because of the concentration of graveyards or the late discovery of his body.  See Middlebrook’s Guide to the Somme and “The Somme – The Day by Day Account”, C. McCarthy p. 28.

GRUBB, 2nd. Lieutenant Donald James.  Educated at Wesley College, he “was well known in sporting circles, being a first class swimmer, and a player who was not easily thrown aside in the rugby field”.  He had entered the linen business sometime before 1914 and joined the QUB OTC on the outbreak of war.  Gazetted to the Inniskillings in September 1914, he was later posted as Signalling Officer to 5 RInF.  He left for the Dardanelles from Basingstoke on the 10 July 1915, landing with his battalion at Sulva Bay on the 7.8.15.  He was KIA eight days later on the 15.8.15 aged 20.  According to his CO, “he met his death while bravely attending the wounded at great personal risk under a very heavy fire.”  His death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 97-101.  He was the only son of the Rev. James Grubb and Jessie Grubb of 24 Stranmillis Road and Donegall Square, Belfast and nephew of Cpt. J.J. Grubb, late Royal West Surrey Regiment.  The Rev. Grubb had been minister of Lisburn Methodist Church in Seymour Street before moving to the Methodist Church at Donegall Square, Belfast.

GURNELL, Second Lieutenant Robert Matthew.    A member of Boardmills No Compromise Lodge 221 I.O.G.T., he joined the army as a cadet and received his commission in 18 RIR “a short time” before his death.  He arrived in France on the 2 May and was KIA in Belgium less than three weeks later on the 21.5.17 age 20.  On writing to his mother, Captain Somers his C.O. said, “I know that it will be a consolation, which all who have lost loved ones out here look for, to learn that it was in the performance of his duty he fell.  He was killed by an enemy sniper at 5 a.m. on the 21^st inst.  I can assure you his death was without suffering, as it was instantaneous.  I arrived just in times to be with him in his last moments”.  The younger son of the late Lawrence and Mrs. Gurnell of Boardmills and formerly of Lisburn, Co. Antrim, he is buried in Pond Farm Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium , row N, grave 12.  His death is also commemorated on the McComb family headstone in Boardmills Presbyterian churchyard.

HADDOCK, Corporal James.    Born in Lurgan, Co. Armagh, before the war he had worked for the Ordnance Survey.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 Field Survey Company RE (57705).  KIA in France on the 20.8.17 age 36, he is buried in Outtersteene Communal Cemetery Extension, Bailleul, Nord, France, (close to the Franco-Belgian border), plot 1, row A, grave 34.  His death is also commemorated on the family headstone in Aghalee burial ground.  He was the son of John Haddock  of Lower Ballinderry who died on the 16.2.36 aged 79 and Mary K. Haddock who died on the 28.10.50 aged 95.  His brother, Gunner George M. Haddock who was born in Antrim on the  7.6.1887, enlisted in Vancouver on the 6.10.15 aged 28 and served with the CFA (476795).  A single man and carpenter by trade, he was 5’ 9½” tall with a 39½” chest (fully expanded) and 3” expansion.  Of a fair complexion, he had grey eyes and reddish hair.  Wounded in June or early July 1917, he appears to have survived the war.

HADDOCK, Rifleman Thomas.    Born in and lived with his father at 117 Longstone Street, Lisburn, he was an employee of Mr. Johnston coal merchant of Bachelors’ Walk, Lisburn, and a member of the UVF.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in B Company 11 RIR (16560).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.

HADDOCK, Private William.  Born in Ballinderry, Co. Antrim, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Belfast and served in 7 SLR (6705).  KIA in Belgium on the 13.6.17, he is buried in Oosttaverne Wood Cemetery, Heuvelland, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, plot 1, row A, grave 2.

HAIRE, Private Samuel.    Born in Lisburn, he had a Lisburn address but was employed in Dublin as a Civil Service clerk in Dublin.  He enlisted there and served in 10 RDF (24703).  Reported wounded in late September/early October 1916, he DoW in France on the 16.11.16 aged 20 and is buried in Varennes Military Cemetery, France, plot 1, row E, grave 85.  He was the brother of Thomas Haire of 40 Llewellyn Avenue, Lisburn and the youngest son of the late Thomas Haire senior and Ellen Haire of Lisburn.  Before his death Thomas Haire snr. had worked in Hilden.

HALE, Rifleman James Henry.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 15 RIR (15/2823).  He DoW in Belgium on the 19.10.16 aged 35 and is buried in Ration Farm (La Plus Douve) Annexe, Belgium, plot 3, row G, grave 8.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the husband of Annie Hale of 38 Chief Street, Belfast.

HAMILL, Rifleman Shepherd.  Born in Grange, Co. Antrim, he lived at Moira, enlisted at Randalstown, and served in 11 RIR (3795).  He died at “home” on the 3.9.15 age 19 – this was during the time that 11 RIR were training in Seaford, Sussex, where they had been since early July, and before they left for France in early October.  He is buried in Grange Corner Presbyterian Churchyard, County Antrim, grave 284A.  (Grange Corner is a few miles north east of Toome).  The son of John and Nancy Hamill of Taylorstown, Toomebridge, Co. Antrim he was also the brother of Rifleman Alexander Hamill 20 RIR 3736 who died of pneumonia on the 21.4.16 age 21 and is buried in grave 284 of Grange Corner Presbyterian Churchyard.  Like his brother he was born in Grange and enlisted at Randalstown, though his address was Toomebridge.

 

HAMILTON, Private Charles.    Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Hamilton, Lanark and served in 2 IG (11393).  He DoW in France on the 4.4.18 and is buried in Etaples Military Cemetery, France, plot 33, row D, grave 21A.  There is no headstone inscription.

HAMILTON, Corporal Edward.  Born and living in Dromore, Co. Down (or Drumlough, south west of Annahilt) he enlisted at Belfast and served in A Co. 8 RIR (14833).  KIA in Belgium on the 6.8.17 aged 21, he is buried in Tyne Cot Cemetery, Passchendaele, Belgium, plot 59, row E, grave 47.  The headstone inscription reads, “Safe in the arms of Jesus”.  He was the son of James and Elizabeth Hamilton of Leopoges, Dromore Co. Down.

HAMILTON, Private John.    Born and living in Lisburn, he was an Orangeman and member of Lisburn LOL 207.  At the outbreak of the war he was working in Scotland and enlisted at Clydebank, Lanark in 1 IG (5594).  Sent to the front “a few months later” he was KIA in France on the 15.5.15.  According to the Standard he was, “killed in one of those charges that made the name of the Irish Guards famous”.  Buried in the Guards Cemetery, Windy Corner, Guinchy, France, plot 4, row K, grave 39, he was the second son of John Hamilton of Linenhall Street, Lisburn.  His brother James Hamilton had joined 11 RIR and at the time of John’s death was training at Clandeboye.

HAMILTON, Rifleman Samuel.  Born in Hillsborough, where he lived in Park Street, he enlisted at Belfast, served in 13 RIR (16567) and was KIA on the Somme on the 28.6.16.  He and 13 colleagues in his company were killed (10 immediately and 4 later of wounds) by a German shell which landed amongst them as they paraded in Martinsart village square to go on duty.  They were all buried in Martinsart British Cemetery plot 1, row A.  All Commonwealth War Graves Commission entries for these men give grave 1, presumably it is a communal grave.  Of the 14, 7 are on this list, CSM Beaston and Riflemen A.V. Crangle, R. Crawley, S. Hamilton, G. Heenan, T. Mercer and J.G. Thompson.

 

HANNA, Rifleman Alexander.  Born and living in Lambeg, he was a member of Lambeg LOL 138, enlisted at Comber and served in C Company 13 RIR (17827).  Reported wounded and missing, and subsequently in September 1917 as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 27, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, face A/B.  He was the fourth son of John and Roseanne Hanna of Kesh House, Sandy Lane, Tullynacross, Lambeg.  Four of his brothers were in the army, one of whom was a PoW in Germany at the time of Alexander’s death in 1916.  Two others were serving in France and one in Salonica.

HANNA, Rifleman Francis James.    Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 11/13 RIR (628).  He may have embarked with 11 RIR for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA in France on the 30.3.18, he is buried in Rosieres Communal Cemetery Extension, France, plot 2, row D, grave 14.

HANNA, Lieutenant Frank Leslie.  Born at Bangor, he lived at Finaghy, and served in the RASC (Horse Transport), and subsequently 3 ASH.  He died in hospital at Holywood of nephritis contracted on active service on the 26.7.18 age 24 and is buried in Knockbreda Church of Ireland Churchyard, County Down, plot B, grave 259.  He was the son of Francis and Marion Hanna of Gayfield, Finaghy Park, Belfast.

HANNA, Rifleman Joseph.  Born in Lisburn, he s served in C Company 2 RIR (8521).  KIA in France on the 20.9.14 aged 28, he is buried in Vailly British Cemetery, France, plot 2, row D, grave 17.  He was the son of James and Eliza Hanna.  Vailly-sur-Aisne is on the north bank of the River Aisne 13 kilometres east of Soissons and 18 kilometres south of Laon.  It was the point at which the 3rd Division crossed the river on the 12th September 1914, in the advance from the Marne.  It fell to the Germans in 1915.  Lt. Col. Corbally, “History of the Royal Ulster Rifles” p. 98, records that 2 RIR were involved in the crossing of the Aisne a mile east of Vailly.  “The Rifles were in a position above some old quarries and there they remained for ten miserable days [and] lost fifteen officers and three hundred men”.  George Neill and Robert Smeaton, who were also in 2 RIR were killed at the same time  (19th and 20th September respectively).  They are commemorated on the La Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial on the Marne.  So too is William John Johnston 1 DCLI who was killed on the 9th.  It commemorates those killed in the fighting from August to early September, who have no known grave.

HANNA, Private William.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RInF (13691).  KIA on the Somme on the 29.3.18, his death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France, panels 38-40.

HARKNESS, Lance Corporal Robert.  Born in Dromara, Co. Down, he lived at Artana, Dromara, enlisted at Lurgan and served in 16 RIR (1102).  KIA in Belgium on the 7.8.17 age 21, his death is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Ypres, Belgium, panel 40.  He was the son of Edward and Mary Harkness of Artana, Dromara, Co. Down.

HARRISON, Private Albert Wesley.    Born in Lisburn, he lived at Hillhall, Lisburn, enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RInF (8501).  He “died of severe shell wounds received in action” in France on the 6.3.17 aged 30 and is buried in Grove Town Cemetery, France, plot 3, row C, grave 35.  The headstone inscription reads, “Father in thy gracious keeping leave we now my dear son sleeping”.  He was the son of Margaret Spence of Hillhall, Lisburn, Co. Down.

HARRISON, Private James.  Born in Lisburn, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RInF (6894).  KIA in Belgium on the 7.11.14 aged 27, his death is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium, panel 5.  He was the son of the late James and Agnes Harrison.

HARRISON, Rifleman Robert.   Born and living in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in C Company 13 RIR (17839).  He DoW in France on the 29.6.16 aged 24 and is buried in Forceville Communal Cemetery Extension, France, plot 2, row A, grave 10.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of the late John and Ann Jane Harrison of Hillsborough, Co. Down.

HARRISON, Rifleman William.  Born in Lisburn, he lived at Mill (Hill?) Street Dunmurry with his widowed mother.  A member of the Drumbeg Company of the Church Lads Brigade, the Dunmurry Company of the South Antrim Volunteers, UVF and Finaghy LOL 771, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 6 RIR (11168).  He died of enteric (typhoid) in Salonika on the 29.10.15 aged 22 and is buried in Kirechkoi-Hortakoi Military Cemetery, Greece, grave 641.  He was the son of Ellen Harrison of 3 Hill Street, Dunmurry, Belfast and the late Nathaniel Harrison.  According to the Belfast News Letter, a rifleman Roger M’Ilroy who served in 11 RIR lived at 3 Hill Street, Dunmurry.  He appears to have survived the war.  Was he the previous occupant or a lodger?  Mary Elizabeth McConnell (formerly McCauley) the mother of Robert McCauley lived at 2 Hill Street, Dunmurry.  As well as a question mark about his address, there was confusion at the time of his death about where it had actually happened.  According to the WOCL he had died in Gallipoli while the Standard reported that it was in hospital in Alexandria.  Neither is likely given that he is buried in Greece.  His battalion had been withdrawn from Gallipoli on the 29/30 September 1915, sent to Lemnos/Mudros and then to Salonika on the 4/5 October.

HARVEY, Rifleman Hugh.  Born in Blaris, he lived in Lisburn where he enlisted and served in C Company 13 RIR (2221).  Listed as missing and subsequently in June 1917, confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 18.  He is buried in Serre Road Cemetery Number 2, France, plot 11, row H, grave 2.  The inscription on the headstone reads, “Rock of Ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee”.  He was the son of Hugh and Lizzie Harvey of 84 Hillhall Road, Lisburn where his sister also lived.   He had a brother on active service in Egypt.

HARVEY, Rifleman John.    Born in Lisburn and resident at 20 Canal Street, he was an employee of the Island Spinning Company, a member of the Cromwell’s True Blues LOL, Largymore Star of the North RBP 198 and of the UVF.  He enlisted at Lisburn and served in A Company 11 RIR (17788), embarking with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1 July 1916 aged 38, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, face A/B.  He was the son of Hugh and Margaret Harvey and husband of Lucy Harvey of 20 Canal Street, Lisburn.  On the 5 July 1919 she had the following notice published in the Herald, “We, who loved you, sadly miss you, As it dawns another year;  In the lonely hours of thinking, Thoughts of you are ever near”.  They had four children.  He also had a sister Maggie and niece Jessie Collington and nephew Robert Harvey, and an aunt and uncle Ellen and Nathaniel Hunter of New Church, Islandmagee.

HARVEY, Rifleman Joseph Mawhinney.  He may have served under the name of  Mawhinney as the CWGC, WOCL and IMR all list him as that.  Born in Carryduff, Co. Down, he lived at 7 Wilson Street, Low Road, Lisburn and worked as a farm hand for Mr. S. Gibson of Newtonbreda.  He enlisted at Belfast shortly after the outbreak of the war, served in 10 RIR (5991) and was KIA on the Somme on the 20.11.15 aged 23.  According to a friend who wrote home about his death, he, “was shot in the forehead while on sentry duty and died in a few moments”.  Commenting on his death, the editor of the Standard felt that he had had, “The honour and glory of being the first Lisburn man in the Ulster Division to fall”.  Joseph Mawhinney Harvey is buried in Sucrerie Military Cemetery, Colincamps, France, plot 3, row E, grave 12.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the eldest and only son eligible for military service, of Mary Harvey of Wilson Street, Low Road, Lisburn.

HASTINGS, Mrs. Margaret.  Civilian.  Margaret Hastings nee Gardiner was born in Lisburn in about 1875.  The wife of David Hastings, a flesher who may have lived on the Lisburn Road in Belfast, her father Patrick Gardener lived at Ballentine in Lisburn and she had four brothers living in the neighbourhood of the town.  The Hastings had five children, the first son John was born in Belfast about 1894 or 1895, another son and a daughter followed in the next four years while two more sons, Freddie and Robert made up the family.  In May 1908 Margaret Hastings was living at 12 Market Square, Lisburn and she was still resident in the town up to 1910 when she emigrated to America.  By this time she was a widow and had decided to go overseas to earn a living.

She sailed for the States on the 2 July leaving from Londonderry and travelling as a steerage passenger on the SS Furnessia, a 30 year old Anchor Line vessel which would be scrapped the following year.  The journey took ten days and the Furnessia docked in New York on the 12 July.  Aged 35 Margaret Hastings was literate, a housekeeper by occupation and had $25 to her name.  In good health, she was 5’ 3” tall, had a fair complexion, fair hair and grey eyes.  Although she had never been to the United States before, at least two of her brothers John and James Gardiner had, each travelling between Ireland and America on a number of occasions.

John had been the first to make the crossing probably in 1903.  He had stayed for two years and returned again in February 1905.  A shop assistant, he lived with his aunt Mrs. Howie at 9 Leroy Place in New Rochelle on the northern side of Long Island sound.  It was there that he was joined in July that year by his brother James, a 21 year old, 6’ tall plumber who like their sister had a fair complexion, fair hair and blue eyes.  He seems to have gone home for a time around 1908 but returned to America early in May that year by which time he was living at 36 Drake Avenue in New Rochelle.  By the time his sister arrived to stay with him in the summer of 1910, he had moved to 1 Anderson Street.

When Elizabeth Hastings emigrated to America she had left her children in the care of friends and relatives at home.  Her 11 year old daughter was living in Belfast with her grandmother while the two youngest boys lived in Mercer Street, Lisburn with Samuel Chambers, a stationer, and his wife.  The two eldest boys, however, would join her in America.  When the second one came over is unknown but John, her first born made the crossing in 1911 at the age of 17.  Sailing on the SS Caledonia from Londonderry on the 15 April that year he arrived in New York eight days later on the 23rd.  Single, literate and a shop assistant by occupation, he was in good health, 5’ 4” tall, had a fair complexion, fair hair and blue eyes.  His final destination was his mother’s home which was then 43 Union Street in New Rochelle although by April 1912 she had moved to 29 Le Count Place.

At that time James had been back in Ireland again, returning to America on the Cameronia which left from Londonderry on the 13 April.  He would have been on the second day of his journey when Titanic, which had departed from Queenstown on the 11^th, was lost in the early hours of the 15 April 1912.  A little over three years later on the 7 May 1915, his sister would die in another great liner, the Lusitania.

Margaret Hastings had lived in New York for almost five years by the time she began her journey home to Lisburn to settle down with her family.  While her two eldest sons, now aged 20 and 18, were living in America, her 16 year old daughter and two youngest sons, Robert and Freddie were still living in Ireland.

Why she chose to take the Lusitania, on which she travelled as a second class passenger, is unknown.  Perhaps her circumstances had changed and she was better able to afford it.  Certainly, apart from James’ first trip out in 1905, her brothers had always used second cabin accommodation rather than steerage suggesting that the family was not amongst the poorest in the world.  Perhaps having experienced the delights of steerage class on her outward journey the prospect of more comfortable accommodation on her return was more than appealing.  Certainly, as the Lisburn Standard reported on the 14 May, the “passenger accommodation was most luxurious, a feature which accounted in no small measure for the popularity of the vessel among Transatlantic travellers”.

The Lusitania left New York on the 1 May 1915 with over 2500 passengers and crew on board.  She was expected to arrive in Liverpool by Saturday, May 8 but was torpedoed by the U20 off the Old Head of Kinsale just after 2 p.m. on the 7^th.  She sank in 18 minutes. Over the years theories have abounded about the cause of her rapid demise and whether or not she had been deliberately placed in danger by a British government desperate for the United States to enter the war.  Whatever the truth 1201 of those on board lost their lives.  Amongst those to perish was Margaret Hastings.  She was 40 years old.

On Monday morning the 10 May, having received no news of her, Robert Gardiner her brother from Ballantine in Lisburn and Samuel Chambers the stationer from Mercer Street who had been caring for Freddie and Robert her two youngest boys, travelled to Queenstown to search for her.  With the help of a photograph they had taken with them they found, or so the Standard reported, that she had been one of the first to be buried in a mass grave containing sixty six coffins.  Certainly they were assured by a number of people that her body had been recovered and buried although perhaps they were being told what those they spoke to believed they wanted to hear.  If indeed this was the case, Margaret Hastings was probably buried on Saturday 8 May in one of three mass graves at Old Church Cemetery two miles outside Queenstown (Cobh) although her body remains officially unidentified.

 

HAWTHORN, Rifleman Albert A.    Born and living in Magheragall, Co. Antrim with his wife, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 12 RIR (2534).  KIA in Belgium on the 2.9.18 aged 24, he is buried in Messines Ridge, British Cemetery, Belgium, plot 1, row C, grave 41. The headstone inscription reads, “Ever remembered by his wife and family”.  His brother-in-law, Sergeant John Phillips was also on active service.  He may have been a brother of Thomas Hawthorne, below, and possibly a son of Mrs. Hawthorne of Magheragall who had six sons (Charles, Thomas, Hugh, George and Albert in the Ulster Division, William John in the Cameronians), a stepson (James, in the Ulster Division) and a son-in-law (William Moore, in the Ulster Division) serving in the army.  In the Spring of 1915, Mrs. Hawthorne received a letter of appreciation from the King acknowledging the “patriotic spirit” which had prompted her sons to enlist.  Her brother William Dickson had four sons serving, two (John and Joseph) in the Royal Navy, William Henry in the ELR and Charles in the Ulster Division.

HAWTHORNE, Rifleman John.  Born in Lambeg, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RIR (9452).  KIA in France on the 17.3.15, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France.

HAWTHORNE, Rifleman Thomas.  Born in Magheragall, Co. Antrim, he lived at Moira, enlisted at Lisburn, and served in B Company 11 RIR (3028).  Reported missing on the 16.7.16 and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 37, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  He was the son of the late William Hawthorne of Magheragall and husband of Mary Hawthorne of Derryrisk, Moira, Co. Down.   He may have been a brother of Albert Hawthorn, above, and was probably the son of Mrs. Hawthorne of Magheragall who had six sons (Charles, Thomas, Hugh, George and Albert in the Ulster Division, William John in the Cameronians), a stepson (James, in the Ulster Division) and a son-in-law (William Moore, in the Ulster Division) serving in the army.  In the Spring of 1915, Mrs. Hawthorne received a letter of appreciation from the King acknowledging the “patriotic spirit” which had prompted her sons to enlist.  Her brother William Dickson had four sons serving, two (John and Joseph) in the Royal Navy, William Henry in the ELR and Charles in the Ulster Division.

HAWTHORNE, Private William Robert.   Born in Dromore, Co. Down, he lived at New Lanark, enlisted at Hamilton, Lanarkshire and served in A Company 7 RIrR (6473).   He DoW in France on the 2.9.18 aged 19 and is buried in Arneke British Cemetery, Nord, France, plot 3, row D, grave 22.  He was the son of William Robert and Mary Hawthorne of 2 New Buildings, New Lanark.  His death is also commemorated on the family headstone in Drumlough Presbyterian churchyard (south west of Annahilt and south east of Hillsborough).  His father William Robert died on the 3.4.1925 aged 63 and his mother Mary on the 27.1.1946 aged 76.  They would have been approximately 57 and 48 respectively at the time of their son’s death and had also lost a daughter Annie aged 1 year on the 21.9.1903.

 

HAZELTON, Corporal John Douglas.  Born in Belfast on the 24.11.1884, he was an old scholar of Belfast Royal Academy.  He had been in the QUB Officer Training Corps for two years, graduating from Queens with a B.A. in 1906.  A barrister by profession he practiced at Royal Avenue, Belfast before emigrating to Canada where he lived at Olds, Alberta.  Enlisting at Olds on the 1.7.16 having had no previous military experience, he was posted to the 187 Overseas Battalion and subsequently served in 31 CI AR (883532).  He was 6’ tall with a chest measurement of 38½” and a 4” expansion, his complexion was ruddy and he had blue eyes and light brown hair.  He DoW on the 25.6.18 age 33 and is buried in Wanquentin Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas de Calais, France, Plot 2, row B, grave 1.  The cemetery is about 12K west of Arras.  He was the son of the Rev. Edward and A.I.L. Hazelton who were living in Larne at the time of JDH’s enlistment and death, and subsequently at 6 Windsor Park, Belfast.

HEANEY, Gunner James.  Born in Moira, Co. Down, he enlisted at Kilmarnock, Ayr and served in D Battery, 177 Brigade, RFA (92607).  KIA in Belgium on the 29.5.17, he is buried in Loker Churchyard, Belgium, grave 5.

HEANEY, Rifleman Thomas (or John).  Born in Crumlin he lived at Dundrod.  Enlisting in Lisburn he served in D Co. 11 RIR (1282) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Listed as missing and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15A and 15B.  It is not clear what his Christian name was.  The CWGC and WOCL give John but Dundrod Presbyterian Church, the Standard and the 11 RIR embarkation list give him as Thomas.

HEASLEY, Private Alexander.   Born in Lisburn, and living at Broomhedge, Moira, he enlisted at Liverpool and served in 1 KLR (91270.  KIA in France on the 3.5.17 age 35, his death is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, France, bay 3.  He was the son of James Heasley, Broomhedge Bogs, Moira, Co. Down.

HEENAN, Rifleman George.    Born and living in Hillsborough, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 13 RIR (17856).  He was KIA on the Somme on the 28.6.16 aged 20.  He and 13 colleagues in his company were killed (10 immediately and 4 later of wounds) by a German shell which landed amongst them as they paraded in Martinsart village square to go on duty.  They were all buried in Martinsart British Cemetery plot 1, row A.  The headstone inscription reads, “Father in thy gracious keeping leave we now thy servant sleeping”.  He was the son of Richard and Mary J. Heenan of Hillsborough, Co. Down.  All Commonwealth War Graves Commission entries for these men give grave 1, presumably it is a communal grave.  Of the 14, 7 are on this list, CSM Beaston and Riflemen A.V. Crangle, R. Crawley, S. Hamilton, G. Heenan, T. Mercer and J.G. Thompson.

HEMPHILL, Captain Richard Patrick.  Born in Birr, King’s Co. he served in 6 LR and the RFC.  Accidentally killed at Heliopolis, Egypt on the 24.3.17 age 23, he is buried in Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt, row F, grave 203.  He was the son of the Rev. Samuel and Flora Margaret Hemphill of Drumbeg Rectory, Dunmurry, Co. Antrim.

HENDERSON, Lance Corporal James.  Born in Dunmurry, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in the Ulster Division RASC (T4/045325) before being transferred to 2/5 NSR (50742).  He DoW on the Somme on the 8.12.17 and is buried in Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery, Manancourt, Somme, France, plot 5, row E grave 23.  There is no headstone inscription.

HENDERSON, Sergeant Thomas. MM.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he lived at Parkeston, Essex, enlisted at Harwich and served in 87 Essex and Suffolk RGA, before being transferred to 174 Siege Battery RGA (122422).  KIA in France on the 25.9.18, he is buried in Jeancourt Communal Cemetery Extension, France, plot 2, row B, grave 5.  There is no headstone inscription.

HERON, Rifleman Robert.  Born at Blaris, and living at Barnsley Row in Lisburn, he had worked at Robert Stewart and Son’s thread manufacturing mill before the war.  He enlisted at Lisburn and serving in B Company 11 RIR (17866).  Wounded/gassed on the 1^st. September 1916 he was subsequently KIA in Belgium on the 12.8.17 aged 23.  His brother Corporal William Heron who was also in 11 RIR, was present at his burial.  A few days later on the 16^th August he, William, was wounded in the attack at Langemarck but appears to have survived.  Robert Heron’s grave was subsequently lost and his death is now commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, panel 40.  He was the youngest son of William and Ellen Heron of 8 Barnsley Row, Lisburn.  William Heron senior had been a soldier too, serving under Lord Roberts in Afghanistan where he had risen to the rank sergeant.  On the 15.9.17 Robert heron’s parents included the following poem along with his death notice in the Herald.  “Oh! Darling son I little thought, When first I cradled thee, That on the battlefield of death, You’d lie so far from me.  And when my heart is breaking, I seem to hear him say – Keep up your heart dear mother, We will meet again some day”.

HEWITT  Lance Sergeant John.    Born in Moira, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 6 RInF (12760).  He served in Gallipoli, Salonika, Egypt and Palestine before he DoW in France on the 8.11.18 age 26.  Buried in Premont British Cemetery, Aisne, France, plot 2, row C, grave 17, he was the son of Alfred V. and Margaret Hewitt (nee Kidd) of Moira, Co. Down.  Premont is a village 19.5 kilometres south-east of Cambrai on the road to Guise and a little south-east of the main road from St. Quentin to Le Cateau.

 

HILL, Lance Corporal George Frederick.  He lived in Lurgan, enlisted at Clandeboye and served in 12 RIR (1777).  Reported missing near Kemmel Hill, Flanders and subsequently KIA in Belgium on the 12.4.18 age 24, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, Belgium, panels 138 to 140, 162 to 162A and 163A.  He was also commemorated by his mother on the family headstone in Ballinderry Middle Church where the inscription reads, “Loves last gift – Remembrance”.  He was the son of Maria Jane Hill of Lisburn Road, Ballinderry Upper, Co. Antrim.

HILLIS, Rifleman John.  Born at Edinburgh, and living in Lisburn, he enlisted there and embarked for France from Bordon with A Company 11 RIR in October 1915.  He was one of the men involved in the attempt to save Henry Corkin from drowning on the 17.5.16 (see above) and was himself wounded at the Somme on the 1.7.16.  Subsequently transferred to 12 RIR (17880) and possibly reported wounded in September 1917, he was KIA in Belgium on the 12.4.18.  His death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140.

HILLOCKS, Private William.  Born in Cerragby, Co. Antrim, and living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Antrim and served in the NIH, British Cavalry Base Depot, (71830).  He died in France on the 10.11.18 and is buried in Mount-Huon Military Cemetery, Le Trepot, France, plot 8, row O, grave 9B.

HODGIN, Rifleman John.  Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted there and served in 11 RIR (17799) embarking with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA in Belgium on the 1.9.16, his death is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium, panel 40.  He was the brother of Lena English of 32 Mercer Street, Lisburn.  She and her husband Thomas inserted the following poem along with an In Memoriam notice in the Herald on the 1.9.17, exactly a year after his death.  “He will answer no more the roll call, Nor rush at the bugle sound; But, Lord when the roll is called in Heaven, May his name in the book be found”.

HOGG, Lieutenant Walter Gordon.  An old scholar of Friends’ School Lisburn, he served in 15 RIR.  KIA in Belgium on the 24.5.17 aged 22, he is buried in Pond Farm Cemetery, Belgium, row C, grave 7.  The headstone inscription reads, “Until the day break”.  He was the son of Walter Gordon Hogg of  Mertoun, Knock, Co. Down.

HOLDCROFT, Sergeant Robert.    Born in Burslem, Staffordshire, he lived in Belfast, enlisted at Lichfield, Staffordshire and served in 7 NSR (8853).  He DoW in Mesopotamia on the 9.4.16 and is buried in Basra War Cemetery, Iraq, plot 6, row Q, grave 1.

HOLLYWOOD, Lieutenant Arthur Carson.  Born on the 29.12.1891 he was an old scholar of Friends’ School, Lisburn.  He entered the school on the 7.9.03 and left on the 20.7.06 during which time his reports were “excellent” or “very satisfactory”.  Serving in 9 RIrF he was wounded early in 1916 and later KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 24, the same day as his younger brother James Holllywood, (below).  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, face A.  He was the son of Elizabeth Hollywood and the late James Hollywood of Bangor and a brother of David Hollywood, also a past pupil of F.S.L.

HOLLYWOOD, 2nd. Lieutenant James.  Born on the 16.4.1893, he was an old scholar of Friends’ School, Lisburn.  He entered school on the 16.9.04 and left on the 20.7.06 during which time his reports were “satisfactory”, although the first comment was to the effect that, “We think that he needs to put a good deal more energy into his work”.  Posted to 18 RIR and attached to the 12th. battalion, he was KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 23, the same day as his older brother Arthur Hollywood, above.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, face A/B.  He was the son of Elizabeth Hollywood and the late James Hollywood of Bangor and a brother of David Hollywood, also a past pupil of F.S.L.

HOLMES, Private James.  He lived on the Low Road, Lisburn and served in the Plymouth Division, Royal Marine Light Infantry (Ply/17083).  He DoW on the 2.3.15 age 19 while serving on HMS London during the German raid on Scarborough.  Buried in Portland Royal Naval Cemetery, England, grave 549, he was the son of Thomas and Annie Holmes of 2 Low Road, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.  He had two brothers who also served in the war.  Sergeant W.J. Holmes who worked in Belfast before the war, and lived with his wife at Millbrook Road, on the Low Road in Lisburn.  A reservist and member of the UVF, he served in 2 IG and won the DCM at Loos on the 29.9.15.  In a letter published in the Standard on the 26.11.15 one of his colleagues, Sgt. Rolleston, described him as, “a great warrier [who] made a name for himself … at the outbreak of the war”.  Home on leave in the second week of January 1916, he received his DCM from the King on St. Patrick’s Day 1916 and the occasion was marked the next day by the presentation of a purse of sovereigns subscribed by the people of Lisburn.  Private Thomas Holmes, also of the IG, “gave up a lucrative post in America on the outbreak of the war” to return home and enlist.  Both appear to have survived the war.

HOPPS, Rifleman Robert.  Born in Lower Ballinderg, Co. Derry, he enlisted at Brookshill, Co. Derry and served in 2 RIR (6469).  KIA on the Somme on the 24.3.18 age 23, his death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France, panels 74 to 76.  He was the son of Edward and Annie Hopps of Ballinderry Lower, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.

HORNER Private John R.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Bangor, enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RInF (7703).  He DoW in Belgium on the 30.9.18 and is buried in Haringhe (Bandaghem) Military Cemetery, Belgium, plot3, row B, grave 20.  There is no headstone inscription.  From July 1917 this cemetery was used by 62 and 63 Casualty Clearing Stations, and burials from these and other hospitals, notably 36 CCS, continued until October 1918.

HOWE  Private Gilbert Frederick Temple.    Born in Hillsborough on the 9.6.1885 he emigrated to Canada “some years ago” and was an insurance agent, running a firm with another Ulsterman in Hamilton, Ontario.  A single man with no previous military experience, he enlisted at Valcartier on the 23.9.14.  He was 6’ 1½” tall and had a 34” chest with 4” expansion.  Of a swarthy complexion, he had brown eyes, black hair and tattoos on both his forearms.  He served in 16 CI MtbaR (29453) and was KIA at St. Julien in Belgium on the 23.4.15 age 29.  His death is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Ypres, Belgium, panels 24 – 30.  The eldest son of Frances Mary Howe of 1 Radnor Place, Hyde Park, London and the late T. S. Howe of Hillsborough, his father had been agent for the Marquis of Dufferin and Ava.  His brother Edward Barhah Howe who had emigrated to Australia, enlisted there and by 1915 was serving in Gallipoli.  He appears to have survived the war.

 

HUDDLESTONE, Private William.  Born in and enlisting at Lisburn, he served in the RIR (11790) before being transferred to 2 RIrF (12919).  He died from malaria in Salonica on the 2.10.16 age 17 and is buried in Lahana Military Cemetery, Greece, plot 1, row A, grave 3.  He was the only son of Elizabeth Huddlestone of 40 Church Street, Lisburn.

HUGHES, Corporal Arthur.  Born in Belfast, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RIR (8435).  KIA in France on the 10.3.15, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France, panels 42-3.

HUGHES, Private John.  Born in Lambeg, he lived at Hilden, enlisted at Lisburn and served in 7/8 RIrF (15421).  KIA in Belgium on the 7.6.17, he is buried in La Clytte Military Cemetery, Reninghelst, Belgium, plot 6, row A, grave 11.  There is no headstone inscription.  A sister and two of his brothers were drowned at different times in the Lagan Canal.

HUGHES, John.  Commemorate on the Roll of Honour for Lisburn Roman Catholic Church published in the Standard on the 22.12.16, there is no positive trace so far.

 

HUGHES, Rifleman Thomas.  Born in Belfast, he lived in Ballinderry, Co. Antrim where he enlisted, serving in 12 RIR (6442).  Reported wounded in November 1917, he DoW in Belgium on the 13.10.18, and is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinghe, Belgium, plot 30, row B, grave 24.  He was the grandson of Eliza Mooney of Ballinderry Upper, Co. Antrim.

HUGHES, Private William.  Born in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, he had an address in Belfast but also lived in lodgings at 26 Bank Street, Cambuslang.  On the outbreak of the war he enlisted in Glasgow and was sent to the front on the 4 January 1915 where he served in 1 CH (S/10744).  He was KIA just over three weeks later on the 27.1.15 aged 24.  Lance Corporal T. Jamieson who had served with Hughes in the Cameron Highlanders wrote to his mother telling her of her son’s death.  Under the headline, “Another Lisburn Soldier Killed”, the Standard, reported that, “he was shot through the head in the trenches, death being instantaneous”.  His death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, Pas de Calais, France, panels 41 and 42.  He was the son of Mrs. Hughes who lived in Lisburn.  

HUGHES, Rifleman William Henry.    Born and enlisting at Lisburn possibly in 11 RIR, he served in 12 RIR (17901).  KIA in France on the 27.10.18, he is buried in Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille, France, plot 8, row B, grave 2.  There is no headstone inscription.

HULL, Lance Corporal George Henry.  Born in Lambeg, he enlisted at Lisburn in the RIR (17905) and embarked as Rifleman with 11 RIR for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Transferred to 108 Company MGC(I) (17687), the same Company as Corporal R.J. Corken, above, he was KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 5C or 12C.  He had two brothers on active service, one, Private Robert Hull, below, was KIA on the 11.10.18. His parents George and Hariette Hull of 7 Eagle Terrace, Low Road, Lisburn, inserted the following poem along with an In Memoriam notice in the Herald on the 30 June 1917.  “One year is gone but yet we miss him, There is such a vacant place; Can we ever forget his footsteps, And his dear familiar face?  God knows how much we miss him, He counts the tears we shed; And wispers, hush, he only sleeps, Your loved one is not dead”.  Another published on the 5 July 1919 remembered their two dead sons.  “Though their graves are apart, Their souls are not divided; Together to their Father’s home With joyful hearts they go, And dwell together with the Lord, Beyond the reach of woe”.

HULL, Private Robert John.  Born in Lambeg, he lived in Lisburn where he enlisted, serving in NIH (1510) before transferring to D Company 9 RIrF (41576).  KIA in Belgium on the 11.10.18 aged 21, he is buried in Dadizeele New British Cemetery, Belgium, (the same cemetery as Captain W. Boomer) plot 1, row D, grave 10.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of George and Hariette Hull of 7 Eagle Terrace, Low Road, Lisburn, and brother of Lance Corporal George Hull, above, who was KIA on the 1.7.16.  On the 5 July 1919 his parents had the following notice published in the Herald remembering their two dead sons.  “Though their graves are apart, Their souls are not divided; Together to their Father’s home With joyful hearts they go, And dwell together with the Lord, Beyond the reach of woe”.

HULL, Rifleman Matthew.  Born and enlisting at Lurgan, he served in 12 RIR (6441).  KIA in Belgium on the 12.4.18 age 19, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, Belgium, panels 138 to 140, 162 to 162A and 163A.  He was the son of John Hull and Ann Jane Hull of Aghalee, Lurgan, Co. Antrim.

HUME, Private Joseph.  Born in Lisburn, before the war he had been employed at Hilden Mills before going to work in Scotland.  He enlisted at Coatbridge, Lanarkshire and served in 2 HLI (1358).  Reported MIA from the 30.6.16 and subsequently, in April or May 1917, as KIA on the Somme on the 30.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.  His father who lived at 30 Bridge Street, Lisburn inserted a notice in the Standard on the 1.9.16 asking for any information about his son.  At the time of his death his sister, Miss L. Hume, was in the Home for the Blind, Cliftonville, Belfast.

HUNTER, Rifleman William.  He lived on the Hillhall Road, Lisburn and served in the RIR.  According to the Roll of Honour of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, he died, but there is no trace from any other source.

HUTTON, Rifleman James.  Born in and enlisting at Lisburn, he served in 2 RIR (5396) and was KIA in Belgium on the 23.12.15.  According to the Standard he had just returned to the front after 8 days leave at home following “a years hard service in France”.  Buried in Tancrez Farm Cemetery, Belgium, plot 1, row G, grave 11, there is no headstone inscription.  He was the brother of Miss Maggie Hutton of 64 Gregg Street, Lisburn.

HYNDMAN, Private James.  Born in Mallusk, he lived at Suffolk, Dunmurry, enlisted at Belfast in 11 RIR (7261) and embarked with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915. Transferred to 894th. Area Employment Company Labour Corps (412397), he died in France on the 14.11.17 age 44.  Buried in Ste. Marie Cemetery, Le Havre, France, division 6, plot 1, row K, grave 8, he was the husband of Rose Hyndman of Suffolk, Dunmurry, Co. Antrim.

 

IRVINE, Rifleman David.  Born in Derriaghy, he lived at 4 Low Road, Lisburn.  An apprentice in the Co-operative Society, and a former member of Railway Street Church Boys Brigade, he enlisted at Crumlin and served in 11 RIR (2225) embarking with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  He was KIA in Belgium on the 8.8.17 a few weeks after returning from home on leave, and his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, panel 40.  He was the son of Adam and Agnes Jane Irvine of Wilson Street, Low Road, Lisburn.  Captain Lindsay, one of his officers, wrote to his mother saying, “It is with the greatest grief that I have to tell you that your son … died of wounds last Thursday.  We had gone up to a forward position in the new line, and while there he was hit by a shell and died in the aid post shortly afterwards.  He was a splendid boy, and very highly thought of.  He has been in charge of our Company Signallers for some time and was most capable and efficient in his work.  His loss is very keenly felt by us all.  I feel the loss of our men terribly – how much we should like them all to get back to those who love them; but I feel there is something better for all those brave hearts.  The loss is ours, the gain is theirs.  Something better must be in store for them.  This is a very real comforting thought, and I hope it may be a comfort to you”.

IRVINE, James.  His death is commemorated on War Memorials at Hilden and Lambeg Parish Church. however, there is no positive trace so far.

IRVINE, Rifleman Samuel.  Born in Lisburn, he lived on the Low Road.  An old soldier who had served in RIR before the war, he was a keen footballer and athlete.  He played for the Wesley team which won the Alliance Trophy, Lisburn League and Steel and Sons’ Cup and for a time for Queens Park, Glasgow appearing for them in a friendly fixture against Linfield in Belfast before the war.  Enlisting at Lisburn, he served in 2 RIR (5531).  KIA in France on the 27.4.16 aged 46 he is buried in Ecoivres Military Cemetery, Mont-St. Eloy, France, plot 1, row G, grave 24.  A widower, he was survived by three young children who appear to have been looked after by his parents.  He was the son of the late William and Ann Irvine of 114 Fort Street, Low Road, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.  His sister and brother-in-law Lizzie and Hugh Boyd lived at 112 Fort Street, and his brother and sister-in-law David and Eliza Jane Irvine at 42 Low Road.  All inserted death notices in the Standard for the 26^th May 1916.

IRVINE, Rifleman William.  Born in Culcavey, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RIR (3576).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 18, he is buried in Serre Road Cemetery No. 2, plot 8, row F, grave 12.

IRVINE, Rifleman William McCullough.  Born in Derriaghy, Co. Antrim, he lived at 8 Carman’s Row, Lambeg, Lisburn and was a member of Lambeg LOL 912.  He enlisted at Lisburn and served in B Company 11 RIR Lewis Gun Section (6635), embarking with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Reported missing and subsequently, in June 1917, confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 18, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval memorial, France.  He was the son of William and Ellen Irvine of 8 Carman’s Row, Mosside, Lambeg, Lisburn.  On the 1^st. September, his father inserted a notice in the Standard asking for any information concerning his son but it was to be over nine months before he received official confirmation that he had been killed.

IRWIN, Sergeant James.  Born in Lochwinnoch, Lanark, he lived at Lambeg, and before the war was employed at Lambeg Bleachworks.  A member of the Conservative Flute Band and Lambeg LOL 138, he was also well known in local football circles, and was “a great favourite with the Roseville boys”.  Enlisting in Belfast he served in the RIR (248) before transferring to 109 Company MGC(I) (18721).  He DoW in Belgium on the 7.6.17 aged 24 and is buried in Dranoutre Military Cemetery, Belgium, plot 1, row J, grave 40.  The headstone inscription reads, “We miss him most who loved him best”.  He was the son of George and Charlotte Irwin of 17 Kilnknowe Cottages, Howood, Renfrewshire, and husband of Nancy Stewart Irwin of 23 Hilden View, Tullynacross, Lambeg, Lisburn.  He died the same day as his brother Sergeant David Irwin who was born in Thornlie, Lanark, enlisted at Belfast and served in 10 RIR (12759).  He was KIA in Belgium on the 7.6.17 aged 21.  His death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium, panel 40.  After the war on the 7 June 1919, James Irwin’s wife Nancy had the following In Memoriam notice published in the Herald.  ”Though death divides, Loving memory clings.  Ever remembered by his loving wife and little daughter”.  A week later on the 14^th the following appeared in the same paper, inserted by the two brothers’ parents in Scotland.  “In loving memory of our dear sons Sgts. James and David Irwin who were KIA in France on June 7, 1917.  Sweet is their memory, dear to our hearts; My love to their memory never shall part; I know that the years be they many or few, are years of remembrance, dear sons, of you”.

IRWIN Rifleman James.  Served as James Duggan.  Born and living in Dunmurry, he enlisted at London and served in 7 RIR (7/8557).  KIA in France on the 6.8.16 age 22, he is buried in Vermelles British Cemetery, (10 kilometres north-west of Lens), Pas de Calais, France, plot 3, row L, grave 23.  He was the son of James and Mary Ann Irwin of 19 Mill Row, Dunmurry.  There is no indication from the evidence as to why he served under an assumed name.  Unlike Frederick John Fenton (above) he would not have been under-age.  If he had joined up in August 1914 he would have been at least 19 and probably 20.

IRWIN, Private John.  Born in St. Patrick’s, Co. Armagh, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Belfast and served in LR (2412) before transferring to 1 RIrF (21250).  Reported wounded in September 1917 he was KIA in Belgium on the 22.10.18, he is buried in Harlebeke New British Cemetery, Harelbeke, Belgium, plot 8, row B, grave 5.

JACKSON, Private Isaiah.  Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RInF (19956).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 21.8.15 aged 17, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 97-101.  He was the third son of Joseph and Mary Jackson of 53 Mercer Street, Lisburn.  They inserted the following poem with a death notice in the Herald on the 25 August 1917.  “We will say nothing, ‘tis good God wills, Though he sleeps in silence ‘neath Turkish Hills; Yet a proud and yearning memory dwells, For that silent sleeper in the Dardanelles”.

JEFFERSON, Rifleman James.  Born in Blaris, Co. Down, he was a “prominent Orangeman and Unionist in the Derriaghy district,” he played in the Derriaghy Flute Band and was employed at the gas-stove department of Belfast Corporation at the Ormeau Road works.  Enlisting at Belfast, he served in D Company 10 RIR 192.  KIA in France on the 19.6.16 aged 35, he is buried in Hamel Military Cemetery, France, plot 1, row A, grave 31.  There is no headstone inscription but rather unusually the headstone gives his full Christian name James rather than just his initial J.  He was the second son of William and Jane Jefferson of Mosside, Dunmurry, husband of Jane Jefferson of 5 Reformatory Avenue, Lisburn Road, Balmoral, Belfast, and father of their four children.

JENKINS, 2nd. Lieutenant Garratt  Primrose.    Born on the 30.11.1897, he was an old scholar of Friends’ School, Lisburn which he entered on 3.5.05.  There, his reports record his conduct and work as either “satisfactory” or “excellent”.  He left FSL on the 26.7.07 and was subsequently educated at Winchester School.   Gazetted to the artillery from the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich in August 1916, he served in C Battery, 75 Brigade, RFA.  KIA in Belgium on the 7.9.17 aged 19, he is buried in Canada Farm Cemetery, Belgium, plot 3, row B, grave 9.  The headstone inscription reads, “Of Lisburn Co. Antrim”.  He was the eldest son of Alys Jenkins and Major Adam Primrose Jenkins of the firm of W.J. Jenkins & Co., Bedford Street, Belfast, Seymour Street, Lisburn and Morestead Grove, Winchester.

Major Adam Jenkins his father, was also a member of Lisburn Urban Council and the Commanding Officer of the 1^st. Lisburn battalion of the UVF which he had been instrumental in setting up.  He had received his commission as a Captain in 11 RIR on the 14 September 1914 and according to the Standard, “it was thanks chiefly to his manly lead that such a splendid percentage of members [of Lisburn UVF] joined the army at the outbreak of the war”.  His services to the Ulster Volunteers and to the Unionist cause in general, were recognized in January 1915 with the presentation of a dress sword and compass by the members of 1^st Lisburn Battalion of the UVF.  Promoted to Major, he embarked for France from Bordon camp in October 1915 even though he could have avoided overseas service on account of his age and health.  “That”, reported the Standard, “was not Major Jenkins’ way.  He … would ask no man to go where he would not go himself”.

He served in France until July 1st 1916 when, as commander of A Company, he was reported as KIA.  However, this subsequently proved to be incorrect.  He had in fact been wounded and taken prisoner, and was held by the Germans in the Gutersloch Camp, Westphalia.  This was the same camp as Captain Craig the local M.P. who was also wounded and captured on the 1.7.16.  His wife received a letter from him in August 1916 in which he described how he, “was wounded in the head, and must have lain for two days in the German trenches before being picked up by a Red Cross Orderly.  Of course I have only a shadowy recollection of all this.  The nurses and doctors here are very kind.  My doctor is a charming man, and I shall never forget his kindness.  My wound was a very bad one, but it is getting all right now.  How I escaped with my life is a marvelous thing”.

In August 1918 after his repatriation his view of Germans was not quite so generous.  “When I was in Germany”, he wrote, “I was in an officers prison camp, and had it not been for the parcels of food sent by my wife, I would undoubtedly have starved.  Not only did we not get enough to eat, but the quality of what little we did get was so bad that we could not eat it.  If officers were treated like this, you can imagine how the poor men must suffer. … I’m glad to say that we always received the parcels that were sent to us.  This was about the only descent thing the Germans did”.

Released by the Germans in December 1916 on account of his wounds, he spent the next nine months recuperating in Switzerland.  His wife visited him there in July 1917.  On the 8 September he left Switzerland reaching England on about the 12^th to be greeted by the news of his son’s death which had taken place five days earlier.  Arriving in Belfast on the 6 October, he paid a short visit to Lisburn two days later on the 8^th.  The following Easter, 1918, a private service was held in Lisburn cathedral on Good Friday at which the Lord Primate dedicated a tablet to Garratt Jenkins memory.    Three years later in February 1921 Adam Jenkins unveiled the war memorial in Christ Church.  Garrett Jenkins name appears fourth on the list.

JEREMY, Private Frederick.  Born in Hillsborough, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RInF (7451).  KIA in Belgium on the 21.10.14 aged 32, his death is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium, panel 5.  He was the son of Robert and Margaret Jeremy of Hillsborough, Co. Down.

JESS, Rifleman George.  Born in Hillsborough, with an address at Arnold Bridge, just to the south west of the village, he enlisted at Ballymena and served in 12 RIR (460).  KIA in France on the 1.7.16 aged 24, he is buried in Ancre British Cemetery, Beaumont-Hamel, France, plot 2, row D, grave 36.  The headstone inscription reads, “Thy will be done”.  He was the son of Mrs. Matilda Jess of of Arnold Bridge and/or Ballykeel Artifinney, Hillsborough, Co. Down.

JESS, Rifleman Joseph.  Born in Hillsborough, he lived at Drumlough, enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RIR (1567).  KIA in Belgium on the 21.10.18 aged 29, he is buried in Harlebeke New British Cemetery, Belgium, plot 8, row D, grave 11.  He was the son of John and Mary Jane Jess of Dromore, Co. Down

JESS, Rifleman William George.  Born in Hillsborough, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 8 RIR (1019).  He DoW at “home” on the 12.7.16 and is buried in Dundonald Cemetery, Belfast, grave F6, 662.  He was the son of Robert and Agnes Jess.

JOHNSTON, Rifleman Alexander.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Belfast, enlisted at Lisburn and served in 6 RIR (11009).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 22.8.15, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 177-8.

JOHNSTON, Private Alfred.  Born in Hillsborough, he served in the SIH (1742) and died on the 14.5.17.  The details here concerning service number, regiment and date of death are the same as for James Edward Bentley, see above.  Could Bentley have served under an assumed name?

 

JOHNSTON, Arthur.  Born on the 24.2.1895, he was an Old scholar of Friends’ School, Lisburn.  His stay at FSL was brief, lasting from the 4.9.06 to the 21.12.06.  The single report on him dated 21.12.06 reads, “Arthur possesses considerable ability, and has shown a good deal of improvement during the term; but his frequent absences from school have prevented him from properly settling down to his work, and deriving all the benefits that might have been expected”.  His parents were James and Christina Johnston whose home was in Lurgan.  The closest fit is Private A.M. Johnston (CH/2887S) 1st. R.M. battalion Royal Naval Division, RMLI.  Died on the 8.10.18 age 23.  Buried in Proville British Cemetery, Nord, France, plot 1, row C, grave 30.  He was the son of John and Christina Monteith Johnston of 19 Ship Haugh, Stirling.

JOHNSTON, Private David.  He lived at Lisburn and Crumlin and enlisted in the RIR (6287) at Clandeboye Camp.  Subsequently transferred to the 97 Co. MGC (Infantry), he was reported missing and later KIA on the Somme on the 16.11.16 aged 18.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval memorial, France, pier and face  5C and 12C.  He was the son of James Johnston of 17 Union Street, Portadown, Co. Armagh.

 

JOHNSTON, Rifleman David Williamson.    Born in Lambeg, he lived at Lisburn, enlisted at Comber and served in 13 RIR (17979).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 22, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the son of Hugh Johnston of Tullynacross, Lambeg, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.

JOHNSTON, George.  His death is commemorated on Hilden War Memorial but there is no positive trace so far.

JOHNSTON Lcpl. Henry.  Born Shankill, enlisted Belfast he served in 10RIR 14993.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.07.16 aged 31.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France pier and face 15A and B and also by his sister Annie on the family headstone in Hillhall Presbyterian churchyard though not on the war memorial there.  He was the son of Andrew and Catherine Johnston of 231 Donegall Road, Belfast who are both buried in Hillhall Presbyterian churchyard.  His mother died on the 7.06.1903 and his father on the 17.08.23.

JOHNSTON, Rifleman James.  Born at Carrickavea, Co. Down, he lived in Ballylesson, enlisted at Belfast and served in 8 RIR (12960).  KIA on the Somme on the 2.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15A and B.

JOHNSTON, Rifleman Joseph A.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 6 RIR (11246).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 11.8.15, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli.  He was the brother of Mary Johnston of 176 Cambrai Street, Belfast.

JOHNSTON, Captain Joseph Allen.  Born on the 2.5.1891, he may have lived in Lurgan but was educated at Friend’s School, Lisburn which he entered on the 3.9.02.  With one exception, his reports there were generally “very satisfactory”.  He left FSL on the 26.7.1907 to go to Campbell College and subsequently served in 9 RIrF.  He was KIA in Belgium on the 18.2.17 aged 25 “by a sniper’s bullet which pierced his heart, death” according to the Standard, “being instantaneous”.  He is buried in St. Quentin Cabaret Military Cemetery, Ploegsteert, Belgium.  The fourth son of James Johnston JP, “a Lisburn gentleman” according to the Herald, and Christina Johnston of Lurgan, Co. Armagh, he was a cousin of Thomas Johnston a chemist of Market Square, Lisburn.  Two of his brothers also saw active service.

JOHNSTON, Staff Nurse Margaret (Maggie) Hessie.  JOHNSTON, Staff Nurse Margaret (Maggie) Hessie.  CoI. Born on the 19 April 1885 at Clonterriff, Upper Ballinderry, Co. Antrim, the family home, she was educated at Upper Ballinderry National School and became a member of Lisburn Young Womans Association.  She lived for a time at the YWCA Home in Wallace Avenue in the town before beginning her training as a nurse at Staffordshire General Infirmaryin April 1905.  This lasted for three years before she moved to Essex County Nursing Home, Colchester in May 1908.  Working as a Staff Nurse, she also took on Sisters duties during holidays and, at least according to the Standard, worked at some point as a district nurse.  After nearly a year and a half years in Colchester she moved to the Biblewomans and Nurses Mission in Russell Square, London in Sept 1909 working there until July 1911.  She then moved overseas as a church missionary working at the International Hospital in Adana in Turkey between January 1912 and January 1914.

With the outbreak of war she volunteered for service and took up duties at Northlands Red Cross Hospital, Emsworth, near Portsmouth.  On the 3 March the following year though she applied to join Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve, noting in her application that she had considerable experience nursing those suffering from Enteric fever. Not surprisingly for someone of her experience, her application was quickly approved; she was “warned” for Egypt on the 21^st and the following month was posted to R Section QAIMNS at the Citadel Military Hospital, Cairo.  At the time of her application to join the QAs, it was reported that she was “in good health and fit for foreign service”, however, this was not to last.  Only a few months after going overseas she fell ill.  According to the Standard, Colonel Naggs the CO at the Citadel had her brought to his own quarters and “everything possible was done for her but it was all no good”.  She died from enteric fever/paratyphoid in Egypt on the 5 September 1915 aged 30.  A service was held in the hospital chapel attended by Sir John Maxwell who commanded the troops in Egypt and his ADC Prince Alex of Battenberg.  She was buried with full military honours in Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, row D, grave 84.

Margaret Johnston’s death is commemorated on the family headstone in Ballinderry Middle church graveyard, on the Roll of Honour in the Parish Church, the memorial to Irish nurses in St. Anne’s Church of Ireland Cathedral, Belfast and the memorial to Irish nurses in the Arbour Hill Garrison Church, Dublin.  The family headstone records that she, “gave her life in the Great War”.  Margaret Johnston was the daughter of Edward Johnston, a farmer, and Mrs Johnston of Clonterriff, Upper Ballinderry, Co. Antrim.  She died single and intestate with an estate valued at £85.11.5 gross.

 

JOHNSTON, Private William John.  Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 DCLI (5798).  KIA in France on the 9.9.14, his death is commemorated on the La Ferte-Souse-Jouarre Memorial, France.  It is on the Marne about 20 Km. east of Meaux and commemorates those killed in the fighting from August to early September, who have no known grave.  Joseph Hanna, George Neill and Robert Smeaton who were all in 2 RIR and were killed on the 19th and 20th September are also commemorated there.

JOHNSTON, Rifleman William John.  Born and living in Hillsborough, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 13 RIR (17974).  Wounded on the Somme, possibly on the 1^st July, he DoW in France on the 10.7.16 aged 19.  Buried in St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen, France, plot A, row 25, grave 15, he was the son of William Johnston of Hillsborough, Co. Down.

JOHNSON-SMYTH, Chaplain 4th Class, The Rev. Edward.  Born in Glenavy, Co. Antrim, he was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and was ordained in 1895.  Officiating curate of St. Crispin’s, Bermondsey from then until 1897 when he moved to St. Thomas’s in Birmingham.  The following year he went to India as the Church Missionary Society’s missionary at Multan and in 1908 was transferred to Srinigar, Kashmir in the Diocese of Lahore.  Appointed as an acting army chaplainon on the 8.8.16, he was posted to France, where he served in the Army Chaplains’ Department.  He died in Rouen, France on the 10.2.17 age 44, and is buried in St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen, plot B, row 4, grave 11.  He was the husband of Mrs. M. S. Johnson-Smyth of “Pawa Domus”, Cherry Garden Road, Canterbury, and only son of Maud and the late Thomas Johnson-Smyth, J.P. of Goremount, Glenavy, Co. Antrim.

KANE, Rifleman J.  Born in Kinallen, Dromara, he served in 18 RIR 736 and died at “home” on the 29.5.20 age 38.  Buried in Dromara First Presbyterian Churchyard, grave 317, he was the son of James and Jane Kane and husband of Elizabeth Kane of Kinallen, Dromara.

 

KANE, Sergeant James.  Born in Belfast where he lived for a time, he also lived at Lisburn Street, Hillsborough, and was a member of the local UVF battalion in Hillsborough.  He enlisted at Lisburn and served in 12 RIR (17997).  KIA in France on the 25.8.18 aged 26, he is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, France, (close to the Franco-Belgian border), plot 3, row F, grave 109.  The headstone inscription reads, “Peace perfect peace”.  He was the husband of Charlotte Kane of 262 Conway Street and later 65 Hudson Street, Belfast.

KANE, Rifleman Samuel.  Born in Hillsborough, he lived at Culcavey, Hillsborough, enlisted at Belfast and served in 13 RIR (17047).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.

KEENAN, Rifleman George Clements.  Born in Ballymacarret, Belfast, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RIR (15054).  Reported wounded and missing in late August/ early September and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 2.7.16 age 29, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.  He was the son of Annie Keenan of 94 Dover Street, Belfast and the late George C. Keenan.

 

KEERY, Rifleman Isaac.  Born in Blaris, he lived in Longstone Street, Lisburn.  A bricklayer by trade, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR (6660).  Wounded on the Somme on the 1.7.16 he DoW at Manchester on the 20.7.16.  His wife who lived at 26 Pump Lane, was informed of his death that day by telegram.  His remains were brought back to Lisburn on the 22^nd and he was buried in Blaris Old Cemetery, Co. Down, grave 753 on Sunday 23.7.16.

KEIGHTLEY, Captain Philip Charles Russell.  Born in Lisburn on the 24.1.1895, the family home was Drum House, Drumbeg.  He was an old scholar of Friends’ School, Lisburn which he entered on the 18.1.04.  His school reports show his work and conduct there were generally “very satisfactory” but his progress was hampered by frequent absences due to illness.  A member of Lisburn Cricket Club and Lisnagarvey Hockey Club, he played hockey for County Antrim and for Ulster in the inter-Provincial tournament.  He entered Trinity College Dublin in 1913 where he became a member of the OTC and was commissioned into the Special Reserve of officers.  Posted to the RGA at Plymouth, he arrived in France in September 1915 and was to serve there and in Belgium throughout the war, finishing his career with 262nd. Siege Battery, RGA.  The first 15 months were spent in the Ypres Salient and “during the remainder of his brief life he looked back on this time as a terrible nightmare through which he had passed”.  Home on leave in April 1916 he was posted to Cambrai early in 1917 where he lived “a charmed life, for while his battery was decimated he himself escaped without a scratch”.  Promoted to Captain in January 1919, he was at home on a short leave when he died of pneumonia on the 2.3.19 “after an illness lasting only a few days”.  He was 24 years old and was buried in grave 314, St. Patrick’s (Church of Ireland) graveyard, Drumbeg, beside Drum House.  Russell Keightley was the eldest son of Sir Samuel Robert Keightley KT, M.A., LLD. and Lady Mary? Keightley of Drum House, Drumbeg and “The Fort,” Lisburn.  He seems to have been very close to his mother.  “During the three years he served in France there never passed a single day in which he did not write to [her].  Filial love could go no further”.  Chairman of the Lisburn Board of Guardians, she took a keen interest in childrens’ welfare.  She died on the 31.10.29 aged 65 and was buried in the same grave as her son.  Sir Samuel, whose barristers practice was at Fort House in Lisburn, may be buried abroad, perhaps in Egypt_.  Their youngest son Lieutenant Maurice F. Keightly, passed the qualifying exam for the Indian army and on the 27.6.16 was due to leave for Quetta in India for six months preliminary training as a cadet before being commissioned.  He appears to have survived the war.  Towards the end of 1919 Russell Keightley’s war time experiences based on his letters home were published by Victor McMurray (Belfast and Lisburn), under the title “Among the Guns”.

KELLY, (Quarter Master) Sergeant Edward.  Born in Lisburn, he was serving his apprenticeship as a law clerk at Mr. D.Barbour Simpson’s office Lisburn? when the war broke out.  He enlisted in 11 RIR, possibly along with his brother William, but was “claimed off” (taken out of the army) by his parents, probably because he was underage.  However, he re-enlisted later at Woolwich, by which time he was living at Ilford, Essex, his parents on this occasion, “offering no objection”.  He rose quickly through the ranks and by the time of his departure for the front he may have been the youngest sergeant in the army.  He went to France on the 17 April 1916 aged 17, and served in the DCLI (22507) before transferring to 1 ChR (68320).  The day before his departure, Major E.A. Belcher, second in command of his battalion, had written to Mrs. Kelly, “Your son Edward leaves with a draft for the front tomorrow.  I did not like his going at all, but as you have offered no objection on the score of age, and he has never ceased begging that he might be sent, I feel no one could stand in the way. … He will do well at the front, for though he is probably the youngest sergeant in the British army, he has courage and common sense.  Throughout all his training here and his association with men of varied character and disposition he has retained the freshness of youth and a sterling honesty and straightness which has endeared him to us all.  I am sure his mother would like to know that the good training he must have had in his Irish home has borne such good fruit and is now to be given to the service of his country.  I shall always be very interested, both during the war and afterwards, to hear how he gets on, and if he ever gets wounded I hope you will let me know at once”.  He was wounded in August 1916 in the early stages of the Battle of the Somme.  However, his injuries were light and he recovered after being treated in Mile End Military Hospital in London.  KIA in France on the 23.10.18 less than three weeks before the end of the war.  He was 19 or 20 years of age.  At the meeting of Lisburn Urban Council on the 4 November 1918, Mr. Scott, referring to his age observed that, “the first trousers he ever wore were khaki”.  Edward Kelly is buried in Amerval Communal Cemetery Extension, Solesmes, France, plot 28, row D.  He was the son of William Kelly of 2 Ballynahinch Road, Lisburn, Four of his brothers also served in the armed forces.  Sergeant James Kelly in the RFA, Sergeant William Kelly in the RIR, who was probably wounded in August 1917, and Tom and Sergeant John Kelly with the Canadian Army.  John Kelly who had been a law clerk at D.B. Simpson’s office before he emigrated, served with the Canadian Mounted Rifles after the Great War was over.  He was awarded the M.M. in 1920, possibly in Russia, “for conspicuous gallantry whilst engaged with a special raiding party”.  In addition, a nephew of William Kelly, Private Thomas Henry Kelly who had been born in Australia and enlisted at Ayr, Queensland, served in the 47 A.I., A.I.F (2292).  He had spent a short leave in Lisburn during Christmas 1916 and was KIA in Belgium on the 7.6.17 aged 17.  His death, which was notified to his uncle in Lisburn by the Australian Record Office, is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium, Panels 7 to 31.  His widowed father lived at Ashgrove Farm, Lower Burdekin, Queensland.

KELLY, Private William James.  Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in the RIrR Depot and 6 RIrR (3091).  He died at “home” on the 25.7.17 and is buried in Trinity Terrace R.C. Graveyard, Lisburn.

KENNEDY, Corporal Campbell.    Born in Lisburn and living in Lambeg, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 6 RIR (11283).  Involved in the landings at Sulva Bay on the Gallipoli peninsula, he was wounded in the fighting at Chocolate Hill.  KIA in Salonika on the 16.5.17 he is buried in Struma Military Cemetery, Greece, plot 7, row B, grave 4.  He was the third son of Alexander and Sarah Kennedy of 11 Lambeg Road, Lisburn.  On the 29 December 1916 a letter from him written in Salonica, to the secretary of the Hilden-Lambeg Work Association appeared in the Standard.  In it he thanked them for comforts he had received.  “Just a few lines to thank you and all the workers of the Hilden-Lambeg Association for the parcel especially the cigarettes and cocoa, and also socks.  You just seem to know what we need here and as it is from Lisburn, we always welcome it more when we know we are not forgotten by those we have left behind”.  Exactly a month after he was killed, a death notice published in the Herald at the request of his parents included the following poem, “I loved him in secret, I loved him for years, For him came my smile, for him fell my tears; But sorrow and suffering will shade my brow, For his memory is all that is left for me now.  But the hardest part is yet to come, When the heroes do return, And I miss among the cheering crowd, The face of my dear loved son”.

KENNEDY, Rifleman James.  Born in Glenavy, Co. Antrim, where he was a member of the Orange Order, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 14 RIR (16658).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 26, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.  He was the son of Elizabeth and the late John Kennedy of Glenavy, Co. Antrim.

KERR, Rifleman Alexander.  Born in Kinallen, Co. Down, he lived in Vancouver British Columbia and Skeagh, west of Kinallen in Co. Down.  He enlisted at Clandeboye and served in 12 RIR (6237).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.10.16, he is buried in Le Plus Douve Farm Cemetery, Belgium, plot 4, row A, grave 9.

KIDD, Rifleman George.  Born in Lisburn where he lived at 12 Hill Street, he was a member of the UVF.  He enlisted in the town and served in B Company 11 RIR (18024).  Reported missing and subsequently, in June 1917, confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15 face A/B.

 

KILPATRICK, Lance Corporal John.  Born in May, Co. Armagh, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Carlisle and served in 1 BR (9232).  He DoW received at Gallipoli on the 12.5.15 age 39 and is buried in Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt, row A, grave 140.  He was the husband of Mrs. E. McCabe (formerly Kilpatrick) of 5 Carman’s Row, Lambeg, Lisburn.

 

KING, 2nd. Lieutenant Frederick Cross.  Educated at Oundle, before the war, he lived in Lisburn, where he was a member of the Cricket Club, and practiced as an architect in Royal Avenue, Belfast.  Commissioned into 17 RIR in November 1915, he was attached to 25 Company MGC.  He was KIA on the Somme on the 23.10.16 aged 33 and is buried in Bancourt British Cemetery, France, plot 6 row J, grave 10.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of the late Alexander King of Ardvara, Cultra a coal importer.  During his training at Grantham in August 1915, he had married Anne Jane Wilson.  She was the youngest daughter of the late Robert Wilson of Courtrai, Belgium and Mrs. Wilson of 23 Seymour Street, Lisburn and later lived at Ladbrooke Square, London.  Bancourt where Frederick King is buried is just outside Bapaume which was behind the German line in 1916.  It is possible that his body was not found until later and that he was buried there after the area was occupied by the British.

KING, Private George.  Born and living in Lisburn, he was a reservist and a damask weaver at James Coulson’s.  He left Lisburn on the 4 August and served in 2 SLR (6775).  Involved in the fighting at Mons, the subsequent retreat and the fighting on the Aisne, he DoW in France on the 23.9.14 the day after he was caught in a shell explosion.  According to the Standard, he was the first Lisburn man to be killed, although Private Joseph Hanna had died three days earlier and Private William John Johnston 1 DCLI was KIA on the 9.9.14.  (See above).  A married man with two young children, on his death, they were looked after by his aunt, Miss King of Seymour Street, who was their  “custodian”.  George King is buried in Villeneuve-St.Georges Old Communal Cemetery, France, row 1, grave 736.  Villeneuve-St Georges is 18 kilometres south-east of the centre of Paris on the Paris-Melun road.  The majority of the 1914-18 war casualties commemorated or buried there died in 1914 when the railway station was on the British lines of communication and a British ambulance was posted there.

KINGSBURRY, Sapper George.  Born in Enniskillen, he lived at Lisburn, enlisted at Belfast and served in 122 Field Company RE (57626).  He DoW in a “clearing hospital” in France on the 11.11.16 and is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, France, (close to Franco-Belgian border), plot 3, row A, grave 230.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the husband of Sarah Kingsbury of the Low Road, Lisburn.

KINGSMORE, Private Patrick.  He lived in Dunmurry, enlisted at Belfast and served in the CR (3686) before transferring to 8 RInF (20652).  He DoW in France on the 29.4.16 and is buried in Bethune Town Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France plot 3, row H, grave 76.

 

KIRKWOOD, Private Thomas John (Jack).  He lived in Lisburn, where he was employed by the Board of Guardians as relieving officer for Lisburn Union.  Released from his work on Tuesday the 16 March 1915 so that he could join up, he enlisted in the RAMC (54852) on Wednesday the 18^th.   However, that evening he had broken his leg and was taken to the Military Hospital in Belfast after having been treated initially in Lisburn Infirmary.  He died in Belfast on the 23.3.15 as a result of his injury, news of his death arrived in Lisburn at the time the Board of Guardians were meeting to appoint a temporary replacement.  He was buried with military honours in Belfast City Cemetery, row C2, grave 160 on Thursday 25 March.  The coffin, draped in the Union flag, was carried on a gun carriage escorted by a firing party from the RIR and the band of the Young Citizen Volunteers (14 RIR).

On the 9 April 1915 a letter was published in the Standard from Riflemen R. Smith, Sharkey, Cree and Brown 1 RIR and Private Love of the East Lancs, expressing their sympathy to his parents.  They had been involved in the fighting at Neuve Chapelle and had heard of Jack Kirkwood’s death from the paper which had been sent out to them at the front.

He was the only son of Thomas Kirkwood of 43 Dunluce Avenue, Belfast who had previously lived for a considerable time at Clonevin Park, Lisburn. The grandson of John Kirkwood of Magheralave, Lisburn, his uncles Alex and Hugh Kirkwood lived at Magheralave and Clonevin Park, Lisburn.  His father, who had worked in a range of businesses in Belfast, had set himself up there as a timber merchant and broker in Victoria Street.  According to the Standard was “a great temperance advocate and a devout Christian”.  He was also a mason and an elder in 1^st. Lisburn Presbyterian Church in which he set up and ran a Company of the Boys Brigade.  He died on the 12.2.17 and, like his son, was buried in Belfast City Cemetery.

KIRPATRICK, Company Sergeant Major John Parker.  Born in Killean, Co. Antrim on the 13 July 1877, he served in the 17 battalion of the Imperial Yeomanry.  Having emigrated to Canada where he worked as a salesman and lived with his wife Violet at 14 4^th Avenue, Verdun, Montreal, he enlisting at Montreal on the 4 February 1915 aged 37 years and 7 months.  5’ 9¾” tall, he had a 36” chest with 3” range of expansion, fair complexion, brown eyes, red hair and a cut on the right side of his face.  Passed fit for overseas service, he served in 5 CMR QR 110300.  KIA in France on the 15.9.16 aged 39, his death is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial, Pas de Calais, France and on the family headstone in Glenavy Parish church.  He was the second son of Arthur and Janette Kirkpatrick of Crumlin who had died before the war (on the 24.11.1907 aged 82, and the 24.11.1896 aged 61 respectively) and who are buried in the gaveyard at Glenavy Parish church.

 

KITCHEN, Corporal Christopher.  Born in Gloucester on the 22.6.1890, he was a farmer and had served in the Strathcona Horse.  A single man at the time of his enlistment, he joined up in Winnipeg on the 15.12.14 aged 24 years and 5 months.  5’ 7 ½” tall, he had a 39” chest with a 3” range of expansion.  His complexion was described as “fleshy” and he had brown eyes and dark brown hair.  He had a scar on the index finger of his left hand and one on his forehead.  He served in 2 CI, EOR (81489) and was KIA in Belgium on the 6.11.17 aged 27.  His death is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memoria, Belgium, Panels 10 – 28.  He was also commemorated on the Roll of Honour for Hillsborough Parish Church published in the Standard on the 28.12.17 although he is not now mentioned on the War Memorial in the church itself.  The son of Mrs. William Kitchen of Clonella, Manitoba and husband of Mrs. Kitchen of Park Lane Hillsborough, presumably, because he was single when he enlisted, he was married sometime between December 1914 and November 1917.

KNOX, Gunner Charles.  Born in Belfast, he lived at Lisburn, possibly Lambeg, enlisted at Belfast and served in T Battery RHA and RFA (71959).  He DoW on the Somme on the 16.9.16 and is buried in Longueval Road Cemetery, France, row E, grave 11.  There is no headstone inscription.

KNOX, Private Uchtred Charles Guy.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down on the 7.5.1890, he was a single man and clerk by profession.  He enlisted at Victoria in British Columbia on the 7.11.1914 aged 24 years and 7 months.  5’ 9’’ in height, he had a 42’’ chest with 2’’ expansion, a fair complexion, green eyes and light coloured hair.  He was in the Militia, belonging to the 88^th Regiment V[ictoria] Fusiliers, and volunteered to be posted overseas where he served in 7 CI BCR 77047.  He died in France on the 19.8.15 age 25 and is buried in Ste. Marie Cemetery, Le Havre, France, plot 19, row H, grave 9.  He was the son of Mrs. Knox of 1817 Bank Street, Victoria, and brother of George W. Knox of 1529 Fort Street, Victoria.

LAIRD, Corporal George.  Born in Blaris Co. Antrim, he lived on the Low Road, Lisburn, enlisted in the town and served in 2 RIR (8835).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.6.15 his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Belgium.  According to the Standard for the 2.6.15, he, like Daniel Lappin, below, was wounded while involved, “in the charge of the 16^th. June”.

LAMONT, Rifleman William.  Born and living in Lisburn, he served in A Company 11 RIR (18047) embarking with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA in Belgium on the 1.9.16 aged 25, he is buried in Ration Farm (La Plus Douve) Annex, Belgium, plot 2, row C, grave 24.  This is the same grave number as Rifleman Thomas McClure, below.  They have separate headstones but they stand side by side.  The grave is also next to that of Samuel Ward.  The headstone inscription reads, “Father in thy gracious keeping, leave we now our loved one sleeping”.  He was the husband of Sarah McKearney, formerly Lamont, of 23 Canal Street, Lisburn and son of Robert and Lizzie Lamont of 42 Gregg Street, Lisburn whose nephew James Mulholland (below) was killed in the same action.  Sarah McKearney’s was the sister of Samuel Purdy who was KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17.  At the time of his death she had not re-married and had been living at 48 Canal Street with her daughter Maggie Lamont and sister and brother-in-law Maggie and Fred McWilliams.  Her address following her second marriage was next door to her mother, Margaret Purdy.  Had she married her mother’s and possibly her own old next door neighbour?  Sarah Lamont (McKearney) included a poem with her husband’s death notice in the Herald on the 8 September 1917.  “Not now but in the coming years, It may be in the better land, We’ll read the meaning of our tears, Ah! Then sometime we’ll understand”.  So too did her mother, William Lamont’s mother-in-law Margaret Purdy.  “Though we shall mourn, Those in life the dearest, They shall return, Christ when Thou appearest”.

LAPPIN, Rifleman Daniel (Dan/Dannie).  Born in Shankill, he enlisted at Lisburn where he was an Orangeman and member of the 1^st. Lisburn battalion, UVF.  He was a reservist in 5 RIR and was called up at the start of the war, serving in 2 RIR (5047) along with his brother William.  KIA in Belgium on the 16.6.15 aged 22, his death is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, panel 40.  He was the son of William and Jane Lappin of 12 Millview, Chapel Hill, Lisburn, Co. Antrim and brother of Jane Lappin and William Lappin, below.  Writing to his parents after his death, one of his officers reported that, “He was a brave lad, and it will be of some comfort to you to know that his death was instantaneous”.  According to the Standard for the 2.6.15, he, like George Laird, above, was hit while involved, “in the charge of the 16^th. June”.  Private A. Phillips, (8521) B Company 1 ASH who was serving in France, had the following poem published in the Standard on the 20 August 1915, “In loving memory” of his friend Dan Lappin.  “Though buried in a distant grave, Amidst the shot and shell, For country’s sake he gave his life, He stood his troubles well.  For years and years he was my chum, How sudden was his call, I never knew a better friend; he died beloved by all.  Sleep on, dear Dan, sleep on In the heavens of the blest; You are not dead, but gone before, To the land of peace and rest.  If this world is full of sorrow, Now his pains and trials are o’er; And some day we hope to meet him on the bright eternal shore”.  Private Phillips appears to have survived the war.

LAPPIN, Rifleman William.  Born at Lisburn, he was an Orangeman and member of the 1^st. Lisburn battalion, UVF.  He enlisted at the start of the war in 5 RIR and was sent to the front on the 26.12.15 where he served in 2 RIR (5377) along with his brother Daniel.  He DoW in 11 General Hospital, Boulogne, France on the 24.6.15 aged 24, from gunshot wounds to the leg possibly received at Ypres.  He is Buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, France, plot 8, row B, grave 46 and was the son of William and Jane Lappin of 12 Millview, Chapel Hill, Lisburn, and brother of Jane Lappin and Daniel Lappin, above.

LARMOUR, Sergeant Alexander, MM.  Born and living in Lisburn, where he may have been a reservist in 5 RIR, he enlisted at Belfast, and may have embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915 as a rifleman with 11 RIR.  He was involved in the attempt to save Henry Corkin from drowning on the 17.5.16 and was recommended for the DCM “for bravery under enemy fire” in the summer of 1916.  Awarded the M.M., being one of the first Lisburn soldiers to win the award, he was wounded in September 1916 and in May 1917, received the Ulster Division Parchment for gallantry in the field.  Transferred to 12 RIR (16662) when 11 RIR were disbanded, he DoW in Belgium on the 11.4.18 aged 27.  Buried in Lijssenthock Military Cemetery, Poperinghe, Belgium, plot 26, row H, grave 6A, the headstone inscription reads, “Peace, perfect peace”.  He was the son of the late Alexander and Elizabeth Larmour of Lisburn, and his late wife lived at Mercer Street in the town.   He was a brother-in-law, John Harvey, lived at Church Street, Lisburn.

LARMOUR, Private Samuel.  Born in Blaris Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Lurgan and served in 1 RInF (8479).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 21.8.15, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 97-101.

LAVERTY, Second Lieutenant Joseph.  A school teacher by profession he had held posts at Edenderry in Omagh, Ballinalee, Wilson’s Hospitals Endowed School in Westmeath and Newtownards Model School before being appointed principal at Castlerobin National School, Lisburn (just north of Sale’s Corner), where he appears to have lived.  He volunteered for the army through Queen’s OTC and served in 13 RIR.  He was KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 a year after first going to the front.  His death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140, 162-162A and 163A.  He was the son of James Laverty of Tobermore, Co. Derry and brother of W.J. Laverty of 165 York Road, Belfast

 

LAVERY, Private Charles.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Belfast, enlisted at Lisburn and served in C Company 2 RInF (6902).  He was listed as MIA in France from the 16.5.15 and subsequently recorded as KIA from that date.  His death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France, panel 16 or 17.  He was the husband of Sarah Lavery of 6 Longstone Street, Lisburn who had a letter published in the Standard on the 16.7.15 enquired as to his whereabouts.

LAVERY, Private Edward.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Cookstown, enlisted at Lisburn and served in 2 RInF (10739).  KIA in France on the 16.5.15 aged 18, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France, panels 16 or 17.  He was the son of John Lavery of 10 Old Hillsborough Road, Lisburn.

LAVERY, Rifleman Henry.  Born and living in Hillsborough, (possibly Ballykeel, Artifinney). he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 7 RIR (5723).  KIA in Belgium on the 30.4.17 aged 24, he is buried in Kemmel Chateau Military Cemetery, Belgium, row N, grave 64.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of Mary E. Lavery of Halliday’s Bridge, Hillsborough, Co. Down.  Halliday’s Bridge was a bridge over the canal near Lower Kilwarlin Parish church.  Its name only survives now on the local Orange Hall.

LAVERY, Sergeant Thomas.    Born and living in Ballinderry, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 6 RIR (9573).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 8.8.15 age 21, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 177-178.  He was the son of Margaret Lavery of Gortrainey, Ballinderry, Co. Antrim.

LAVERY, Sergeant William.  Born in Lisburn, he lived on the Ballynahinch Road in the town.  He had served with the RInF during the Boer War and held both the King’s and Queen’s medals.  After leaving the army he became a postman in the town.  An “ardent unionist” and member of Lisburn LOL 141, he was one of the eight founder members of the 1^st. Lisburn battalion of the UVF in which he held the rank of Sergeant Instructor, and was responsible for drilling one of the Lisburn Companies.  He enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR (18048) along with two of his brothers Riflemen James and Jack Lavery who were in the same platoon.  They all embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  William Lavery was KIA on the Somme on the 24.6.16 by the same shell which killed William Leatham, his death is commemorated on Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  He left a wife and 5 children.  James and Jack were both wounded a week later on the 1.7.16 and, in early July, Jack was in hospital suffering from shell shock.  James, who might have lived at 90 Longstone Street, Lisburn, may have been a PoW in Germany after having originally been reported killed.  Another brother, Private and later Corporal Richard (Dick) Lavery who served in 2 RInF, had been a regular soldier with eight years service in China, Malta and Crete and, at the outbreak of the war, was a reservist and one of the first men to leave Lisburn.  Involved in the retreat from Mons, he was wounded during the attack on the Aisne on the 13 September 1914 at about the time his three brothers were due to leave for Clandeboye for their initial training.  From his hospital bed in Leicester, Dick Lavery had written to his mother describing how his Company had forced their way across the Aisne and “were advancing under a heavy fire when I got hit with a piece of a shell”.  He was also shot in the knee but managed to “crawl about half a mile back, with shells bursting all around me, to get out of danger”.  In a more oblique reference to the hardships that had to be endured, he commented that “at times the food supply was not just what one would get at home, and … for the first week of the big battle the troops were glad to get an apple or even a piece of mangold”.  After recovering from his wounds and the operation to remove a bullet from his knee, he returned to duty and saw further action in Gallipoli.   All three of William Lavery’s brothers appear to have survived the war.  Their mother, Mrs. Lavery lived at Summerville on the Old Hillsborough Road in Lisburn while a brother-in-law, Wesley Graham, lived at 66 Melrose Street, Belfast.

LAW, Rifleman Frederick (Fred) James.  He lived in Moira, Co. Down, enlisted at Lurgan, Co. Armagh and served in 16 RIR (870).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.4.18 age 31, he is buried in Canada Farm Cemetery, Belgium, plot 4, row A, grave 33.  (This is next but one to George McClure, below, who was also in 16 RIR).  He was the son of James and Annie Law of Moira, Co. Down.

LAW, Private James.  Born in Lisburn Co. Antrim, he lived in Dunmurry, enlisted at Glasgow and served in 12 RS (13050).  KIA in France on the 23.8.15 aged 32, he is buried in Cambrin Churchyard Extension, France, row E or F, grave 43.  He was the son of James and Ellen Law of Dunmurry.

LAW, Private Stanley.  Born in Belfast, he lived and enlisted at Leeds and served in B Company 5 CR (5655).  KIA in France on the 9.10.18 aged 24, he is buried in Montay-Neuvilly Road Cemetery, Montay, France, plot 1, row F, grave 9.  He was the son of Charles Muller Law and Joyce Eaton Law of 28 Hamilton Street, South Circular Road, Dublin.

LEAHEY, Rifleman Hugh.  Born in Dunmurry, he enlisted at Belfast and served in A Company 15 RIR (809).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 23, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France, pier and face 15 A and B.  He was the son of the late Robert and Rose Leahey.

LEATHEM, Rifleman William.  Born in Lisburn on the 22.6.1894, he may have lived in Young St. or Office Street in the town and was a “prominent unionist in the area”, a member of Lisburn Mechanics LOL 557 and of the 1^st Lisburn battalion UVF.  He may also have been a member of Lisnagarvey Hockey Club.  A plasterer by trade, having served his apprenticeship with David M’Henry of Lisburn, he also worked for a time at Queen’s Island, Belfast.  He enlisted in Lisburn along with 350 others in his UVF battalion, served in 11 RIR (18077) and embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915 along with his brother Lance Corporal John Leathem.  KIA on the Somme on the 24.6.16, two days short of his 22 birthday, by the same shell which killed William Lavery, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the eldest son of Henry and Barbara Leathem of 22 Young Street, Lisburn and nephew of Annie and Fred Thompson of 40 Bridge Street, Lisburn.  His brother John Leatham, who before the war had been an apprentice in the offices of the Lisburn Standard, was invalided home in January 1916 because of ear problems brought on by frost.  He was involved in the fighting in Dublin during the Easter Rising.  Serving there under Captain Colthrust, he was among the party that arrested Sheehy-Skeffington.  By January 1916 he was with 18 RIR, a reserve battalion, at Clandeboye waiting to be posted back to the front.  John Leatham appears to have survived the war.

LEATHEM, Rifleman William H.  Served in 11 RIR, may have embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915 and might have been wounded on the Somme on the 1.7.16.  He is commemorated on Lisburn and Christ Church War Memorials, but there is no further trace.

 

LECKEY, Private Joseph.  Served at the Receiving Depot, Blandford, RAF (304971).  He died on the 26.10.18 aged 18 and is buried in Lisburn Cemetery, old row E, grave 352.  She was the son of Mrs. Mary Leckey of 7 Bullicks Square, Linenhall Street, Lisburn.  The headstone inscription reads, “O Joseph when I think of thee tis just a step to Calvary”.

 

LECKEY, Rifleman William.  Born in Blaris, he lived in Longstone Street in the town where he was a painter employed by Moses Bullick a well known businessman who had premises in Belfast and Lisburn.  He enlisted at Lisburn and served in A Company 11 RIR (2163) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1 July 1916, he is buried in Serre Road Cemetery Number 2, France, plot 24, row L, grave 5. He was the brother of Annie Leckey of 103 Longstone Street, who inserted an In Memoriam notice “In fond and loving memory” in the Herald on the 30 June 1917, and brother and brother-in-law of James and Mary Leckey of Greg Street and 113 Longstone Street, Lisburn who inserted In Memoriam notices in the Herald on the 30 June 1917, 5 July 1919 and Standard on the 2 July 1920.  The notice in the Herald inserted by his sister on the 5 July 1919 read, “Ever remembered.  Peace! Perfect peace! With loved ones far away?  In Jesus’ keeping we are safe, and they”.

LENNOX Lance Corporal Francis John.  Born in Castledawson, he lived there and in Lisburn.  He was a member of Lisburn Mechanics LOL 557 and the local UVF battalion.  For two years before the war he had been in charge of the woolens and ready-made department in Messrs. Duncans.  Enlisting at Lisburn he served in 11 RIR (18090) with whom he probably embarked for France in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A or B.  He was the son of Mr. W.G. Lennox of Aughrim, Castledawson, Co. Derry.  His photograph reproduced in the Standard on the 11 August 1916 had been sent in by a fellow soldier who asked the paper to publish it as, “Lennox was a downright good fellow, and one of the most popular men in the battalion”.

LEWIS, Rifleman Edward.  Born in Lambeg, and employed in Barbour’s mill at Hilden, he was a married man with two children, who lived at Tullynacross.  He enlisted at Lisburn and served in B Company 11 RIR (7244) embarking with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  Two nephews, Rifleman Bertie Webb 11 RIR and Private Ernest Webb RAMC had also enlisted.  Both seem to have survived the war.

LEWIS, Corporal William.  Born in Stoneyford on the 6 August 1892 he subsequently emigrated to Canada where he worked as a druggist.   A single man he had served for 4 years in the 90^th Winnipeg Rifles before enlisting at valcartier on the 22 September 1914 aged 22 years and 1 month.  5’ 10¼” tall with a 35¼” chest (fully expanded) and a 2½” range of expansion, he had a fair complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair and a scar on each buttock.  Serving in 8 CI MtbaR (865), he died in Belgium on the 22.4.15 age 22 and is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Ypres, Belgium, panels 24-30.  He was the son of Robert Joseph and Sarah Jane Lewis of Laurelvale, Aghalee.  His younger brother Henry also served in the Canadian army (532223).  According to the Herald, he had been “in business” in Canada although his attestation paper shows that he was employed as a clerk by the Hudson Bay Company.  Born on the 28.4.1894 in Co. Antrim, he joined up in Winnipeg on the 25.3.16 where he may have been living at 229 Edmonton Street.  He was a single man and had no previous military experience.  5’ 9½” tall with a 32“ chest and 3½“ expansion, he had a fair complexion, hazel eyes and dark hair.  Awarded the MM in 1917 at the age of 22, he appears to have survived the war.

LEWIS, Private William.  Born in Blaris Co. Antrim, he lived and enlisted in Lisburn and served in 6 RIR (10501).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 10.8.15, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial Gallipoli, panels 178-180.  He was the son of Margaret Lewis of 40 Ballynahinch Road, Lisburn.

LINDSAY, Lance Corporal Hugh.  Born and living in Crumlin, he was a member there of the Rose of Sharon LOL 144, Lough Neagh I.O.G.T. No. 144, and of the South Antrim Voulnteers, UVF.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in the Lewis Gun Section, 11 RIR (2210) embarking with them as a rifleman for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  KIA in Belgium on the 7.6.17 age 21, he is buried in Spanbroekmolen British Cemetery, Heuvelland, Belgium, plot D, grave 7.  He was the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. David Lindsay of Main Street, Crumlin, Co. Antrim.

 

LINDSAY, Rifleman Joseph.  Born in Mullaglass Co. Down, he had served in the Boer War and worked in Glenmore Bleach works.  At the start of the Great War he re-enlisted at Lisburn and served in 7 RIR (5347).  KIA in France on the 2.4.16, he is buried in Bois-Carre Military Cemetery, Haisnes, France, row D, grave 7.  There is no headstone inscription.  According to Rifleman Thomas Smyth one of his friends, he, “was only half-an-hour in the trenches when he was killed and … his last dying words and prayers were for his wife and little kiddies”.   Another friend, Rifleman William Jones wrote, “Joe was a good soldier and all the boys are very sorry about him”.  He was a brother of Robert and possibly of Richard Lindsay, below, and the husband of Emily Lindsay (nee Gregg) of Bradburys Buildings, Hill Street, Lisburn.  They had (at least) six children, the eldest of whom was eleven.  William, who served in the Royal Ulster Rifles during World War 2 and was killed in Italy, Robert John who was also killed in WW2, Edith, David, Joseph and Thomas who was, “born with a charm”.  Children with whooping cough would be brought to touch his hair in the hope of a cure.  He was also the son of the late John Lindsay, a land steward, and Agnes Lindsay (nee McFadden) who lived at 3 Grove Street, Low Road, and later 6 Spruce Street, Lisburn.  She had lived at Donaghmore until her husband’s death but had then moved to Lisburn in search of work, her daughters finding employment in Hilden Mill and the boys in the bleach works.  Following the death of her son Robert, below, she received a pension from the Canadian government.  Bois-Carre Military Cemetery is in the fields north of Loos, close to St. Marys ADS Cemetery where John Kipling is thought to be buried.  It was started in 1915 and was used largely by the 16th. Irish Division until August 1916.  The irregular arrangement of the rows was due to the “difficult circumstances” under which burials were carried out.

LINDSAY, Lance Corporal Richard.  Born in Lisburn, he lived on the Low Road in the town, enlisted at Belfast and served in 15 RIR (1868).  He DoW in France on the 5.11.18 and is buried in Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery, St. Omer, France, plot 5, row E, grave 41.  He may have been a brother of Joseph and Robert Lindsay, above and below, and, if so, was the son of the late John Lindsay, a land steward, and Agnes Lindsay (nee McFadden) who lived at 3 Grove Street, Low Road, and later 6 Spruce Street, Lisburn.  She had lived at Donaghmore until her husband’s death but had then moved to Lisburn in search of work, her daughters finding employment in Hilden Mill and the boys in the bleach works.  Following the death of her son Robert, below, she received a pension from the Canadian government.

LINDSAY, Private Robert.  Born on the 28.5.1885, he lived on the Low Road, Lisburn.  A single man with a fiancé in Canada, he was an engineer by profession and enlisted at Toronto on the 16.8.1915 aged 30 years and 3 months, having served in the Royal Irish Rifles.  He had a fair complexion with blue eyes and brown hair, was 5’ 3’’ in height and had a 37’’ chest with 3’’ expansion.  Having volunteered for overseas service, he was able to visit home wearing his “swanky uniform” and his arrival there was greeted with “great celebrations”.  He served in COR, CI (192262) and was KIA on the 9.4.17 age 32 at a time when he was expected home on leave.  His death is commemorated on the Arras Road Cemetery Memorial 28, Nine Elms Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France.  He was the son of the late John Lindsay, a land steward, and Agnes Lindsay (nee McFadden) who lived at 3 Grove Street, Low Road, and later 6 Spruce Street, Lisburn.  She had lived at Donaghmore until her husband’s death but had then moved to Lisburn in search of work, her daughters finding employment in Hilden Mill and the boys in the bleach works.  Following Robert’s death she received a pension from the Canadian government.  He was also a brother of Joseph and possibly of Richard Lindsay above.

LITTLE, Private Henry.  Born in Lisburn where the family lived in Barrack Street and he was a member of Lisburn United F.C, he lived and enlisted at Birkenhead, Cheshire and served in 7 LR (3362).  Reported missing and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 3.9.16, he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 16, face E.  Although his name appeared on an official casualty list in October 1916 as DoW there was continuing uncertainty.  A short article in the Lisburn Standard for the 27 October noted that, “his relatives are hoping for the best but … fear the worst, as since he was officially reported as wounded his name has appeared on a War Office list as ‘died of wounds’.  Further news is anxiously awaited and would be thankfully received”.  Official word was slow in coming, his death was not confirmed until August 1917.  He was a brother of Frank Little of Barrack Street, Lisburn.

LOGAN, Rifleman Thomas.  Born and living in Lisburn where he enlisted, he served in A or B Company 11 RIR (18104) with whom he may have embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Reported MIA on the 16.6.16 and a year later in July 1917 confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the youngest son of Eliza and the late Paul Logan of Market Lane or Market Place, Lisburn.  A death notice was placed in the Standard on the 20.7.17 by Paul and Maggie Logan (possibly a brother and sister-in-law) of 23 Market Place, Lisburn, mentioning that his death had been confirmed.

LOGAN, Rifleman William.  Born and living in Crumlin, Co. Antrim, he was a member of the Orange Order in Glenavy.  He enlisted at Antrim and served in 11 RIR (19598), embarking with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Reported missing and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France pier and face 15 A and B.  He was the son of Campbell and Eliza Logan of Gortnagallon, Crumlin, and husband of Aggie Logan of Crumlin.

 

LONG, Lance corporal Richardson.  Born in Lambeg, he lived in Lisburn where, before the war he was employed at the local branch of Liptons Ltd.  He enlisted at Belfast and served initially in 11 RIR with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Subsequently transferred to 11/13 RIR (16683) when the 11th. and 13th. battalions were amalgamated in November 1917, he was KIA in France on the 8.12.17 aged 37.  His Company Captain wrote to his parents explaining how, “He was carrying out his usual duty of conveying rations up to the battalion when an unlucky shell exploded nearby, killing him instantaneously.  He had worked directly under me for nearly two years and I found him a faithful and steady soldier, always ready to do what he could.  He died doing his duty – the best of all deaths”.  The Chaplain also wrote, “We all feel his loss very keenly.  He was one of the original members of the battalion. … [and] was looked upon as one upon whom the utmost reliance and trust could be placed”.  Richardson Long is buried in Metz-en-couture Communal Cemetery, British Extension, France, plot 3, row C, grave 3.  The headstone inscription reads, “Fifth son of the late Richardson and Mary Long, Lisburn, Ireland”.  Richardson and Mary Long lived on the Low Road.

LOVE/LOVIE, Private Henry.  See Henry Topping.

 

LOWRY, Rifleman Henry.  Born in Derriaghy, he lived at 30 Wesley Street, Low Road, Lisburn with his parents although his address is also given as Railway Tavern, Moira where his aunt lived.  A member of the UVF, he enlisted at Belfast and served in B Company 11 RIR (1099) with whom he probably embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  He was reported MIA on the 16.7.16 and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the nephew of Sara Carlisle of the Railway Tavern, Moira.  On the 28 April 1917 she had the following poem inserted in the Herald.  “He marched away so manly, His young head proudly held, His footsteps never faltered, His courage never failed.  Deeply regretted by his sorrowing Aunt”.  After the war, on the 28 June 1919, she had an In Memoriam notice published in the same paper.  “At the rivers crystal brink, Christ shall join each broken link.  Ever remembered by his sorrowing Aunt”.

 

LUCAS, Private Joseph.  Born in Purdysburn, he lived and enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RF (63719).   KIA on the Somme on the 25.3.18 age 25, his death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France, panels 19 to 21.  He was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Lucas of 46 Edenderry, Shaws Bridge, Belfast.

LUNDY, Private John.  Born and living in Newry, he enlisted at Belfast and served in the RAMC (41594) before transferring to 1 RIrF (18731).  KIA in France on the 24.3.18 age 24, his death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France.  He was the son of James and Alice Lundy of 42 Mary Street, Newry, Co. Down.  His Christian name is given as either John or Patrick Joseph depending on the source.

LUNN, Corporal James.    Born in Blaris, he lived at Ravarnette, enlisted at Lisburn and served in B Company 11 RIR (18058) embarking with them as a Lance Corporal from Bordon Camp for France in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 possibly while attached to A Company, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15A/B.  He was the husband of Sarah Lunn of Ravarnette, Lisburn and son of Joseph Lunn of the Old Hillsborough Road, Lisburn.  His brother CSM T. Lunn RIR who was awarded the DCM, was wounded in the chest and back in August 1917 but appears to have survived.

LYNCH, Gunner John.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Clydebank, Dunbartonshire and served in the RGA (51845).  He died at “home” on the 26.4.15 and is buried in Aldershot Military Cemetery, Hampshire, row R, grave 307.

LYNESS, Rifleman Benjamin.  Served in 1 RIR (G/654) and de died at “home” on the 15.4.19.  He is buried in Lisburn Cemetery, New Section, row E, grave 94.  There is no headstone inscription.

LYNESS, Sergeant Matthew.  Born in Blaris Co. Antrim, he lived in  Lisburn and before the war had been employed at the York Street, Flax Spinning Company, Belfast.  Enlisting at Lisburn in the 11 RIR, he embarked with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Wounded in September 1916 and possibly again in August or September 1917, he was transferred to 1 RIR (11/6493) not long before his death.  Home on leave in February or early March 1918, he was badly wounded in the chest and legs at the start of the German offensive and died of wounds in hospital in France on the 22.3.18 aged 28.  Buried in St. Pierre Cemetery, Amiens, France, plot 7, row E, grave 4, he was the son of Mary Anne Lyness of 35 Millbrook Road, Low Road, Lisburn.

LYTTLE, Rifleman Samuel.  Born in Lisburn, where he and his brother John, lived in Longstone Street, he was a shoemaker by trade, a member of the Heroes Temperance LOL 141 and of the UVF.  He enlisted in the town and served in A Company 11 RIR (18118) with whom he embarked for France, along with his brother, from Bordon in October 1915.  Reported MIA on the 16.6.16 and subsequently in June 1917, confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 24, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the son of Arthur and Mary A. Lyttle of Longstone Street, Lisburn.  His grandmother Jane Morgan and aunt and uncle Sarah and John Morgan lived at Rosevale, Moira Road, Lisburn.  The Lyttles were not the only family to suffer a protracted wait for news of a missing relative.  In their case, we know that they, “hoped against hope that they would learn that he was still alive”.  However, as the Standard reported in June 1917, “that slender chance has now been dashed”.  As for John Lyttle, he too had originally been listed as killed on the 1.7.16.  However by August his parents had been informed that he was a PoW in Germany.  He appears to have survived the war.  On the 23 June 1917 two poems to Samuel Lyttle were published in the Herald.  The first from his parents read, “Duty called and he was there, To do his bit and take his share, His heart was good, his spirit brave, His resting place a soldier’s grave”.  The second was included by his garndmaoher and Aunt and Uncle.  “One by one the links are slipping, One by one the heroes are falling, But at last they all shall gather, When they hear the last roll call”.  “Living for ever in our love enshrined” read the notice in the Herald for the 5.7.19.

 

MACAULEY, Private Samuel James.  Born in Belfast on the 5.5.1888, he lived for a time at Culcavey before moving to Broomhedge, and 2 or 3 years before the war, to Canada.  A cabinet maker by trade, he had 4 years service in the 26th. MLI [Manitoba Light Infantry?] when he enlisted at Strathroy? Ontario on the 27.11.1915 aged 27 years and 6 months.  He was 5’10” tall, had a 40” chest fully expanded, dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair.  Posted to the 135 Overseas Battalion, CEF and later to 15th. battalion, Canadian Infantry, 1 COR, CEF, (802241) he DoW in France on the 20.10.18 age 30.  He is buried in Auberchicourt British Cemetery, France, plot 4, row B, grave 12 and was the husband of Mrs. James Macauley of Strathroy? Ontario.

 

MACKELL, Rifleman Joseph.  Born in Blaris, Co. Antrim, he was the son of Joseph and May Mackell who were married in Hillsborough, possibly at Rielly’s Trench, (to the west of Hillsborough) in 1879.  In 1901 at the time of the census, the family were living in Young Street, though by the time of Joseph junior’s death they may have moved to Blaris.  Joseph senior was employed as a boat/lighter man and worked on the barges, May was a mill worker.  She was the daughter of John Lindsay who was also from Lisburn and worked as a labourer.  Joseph junior who may also have been employed as a boatman, enlisted at Dromore, Co. Down and served in 2 RIR (5244).  He was KIA in Belgium on the 2.5.15 and is buried in Ridge Wood Military Cemetery, Voormezeele, Belgium, plot 1, row A, grave 1.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the brother of Patrick Mackell who lived in Barrack Street, Lisburn.  According to the introduction in the cemetery register, “Ridge Wood was the name given to a wood standing on high ground between the Kemmel Road and Dickebusch lake … the position was chosen for a front line cemetery as early as May 1915, the first graves belong to the 2nd. RIR.”  All six graves in row A, plot 1 are 2 RIR and dated 2.5.15.  The cemetery register entry for one of them, Rm. J. McIldoon, notes that he was KIA at Kemmel.  Alexander Ritchie, below, is also buried here in plot 2, row N, grave 3.  He was killed on the 13.3.16.

MAGEE, Private John Edward.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he enlisted at Lisburn and served originally in 8 RMF (4144) before transferring to 2 RInF (26473).  KIA in France on the 21.11.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 4D or 5B.

MAGILL, Sergeant William.  He had served his apprenticeship with Thomas McMullan and Co., wholesale chemists and druggists, Victoria Street, Belfast before becoming a partner in his father’s business in Hillsborough.  A leading member of the UVF there, he was a Company Commander in the 2^nd battalion West Down Regiment.  He enlisted in 13 RIR 18423 and after training at Clandeboye and Seaford was posted to France where he became an instructor in a brigade grenade school.  He was killed in France on the 1.4.16 aged 26 when testing a rifle grenade that exploded prematurely.  Buried on the afternoon of the 2 April in Forceville Communal Cemetery Extension, France, plot 1, row A, grave 4 by the Rev A. Gibson a Presbyterian minister from Lurgan and Army Chaplain who also buried Jack Clay in the next grave but one, (see above), there is no headstone inscription.  Ironically, just before his death, William Magill had been mentioned in dispatches.  “At a bombing school a live bomb failed to explode after throwing.  When the grenade was afterwards moved, it began to fuse and was dropped.  Sergeant Magill, observing the danger, picked it up and hurled it into a trench twenty yards away, thus averting a very serious accident”.  Writing to his parents, Colonel Savage his C.O. observed, “Your son excelled in his work.  It was a pleasure to have been able to recommend him to some distinction for his gallantry when his courage and presence of mind averted a disaster”.  He was the eldest son of James and Sarah Magill of Hillsborough, Co. Down where James Magill was a grocer and ironmonger.

MAGINNESS, Private Thomas.  Born in Drumgath, Co. Down, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 7 RIrF (23032).  He DoW in France on the 12.7.16 aged 30 and is buried in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Loos, France, plot 3, row A, grave 25.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of the late Patrick Maginness and husband of the late Nancy Maginness.

MAGINNIS, Pioneer Alexander.  Lived in Lisburn, and served in the RE (330428).  He died at “home” on the 20.2.19 aged 52 and is buried in Lisburn Cemetery, new plot, row E, grave 215.  The headstone inscription reads, “From his loving wife Sarah Jane Maginnis”.  He was the husband of Sara Jane Dalzell, formerly Maginnis of 34 Canal Street, Lisburn.

MAGOWAN, Private Charles.  Lived at Clogher, south east of Lisburn and served in 2 CtbR, NZEF (26302).  He was KIA in Belgium on the 5.6.17 age 36 and is buried in La Plus Douve Farm Cemetery, Belgium, plot 4, row E, grave 14.  He was the son of Samuel and Mary McGowan of Clogher, Lisburn.  His death was also commemorated by his brother William on the family headstone in Hillhall Presbyterian churchyard where his date of death is given as the 5.6.18.  Mary Magowan died on the 15.08.1905 aged 62, Samuel Magowan on the 26.07.1913 aged 70 and William on the 29.12.1956 aged 85.

MALLON, Private Christopher.  Lived in Dunmurry and served in the Royal West Kent Regiment.  He died at home on the 15.7.17 and was buried in the family burial ground at Drumbeg on the 17 July 1917.  He was the son of Mrs. Mallon of Mill Row, Dunmurry. These details fit with the information on the War Memorials in Dunmurry and Drumbeg Parish churches However, according to the memorial in St. John the Baptist Parish Church, Suffolk, he served in the Royal Navy.  However, there is no record of him in the WOCL, CWGC or IMR.

 

MALONE, 2nd. Lieutenant William Adolph.  Born on the 11.4.1887, he was an old scholar of Friends’ School, Lisburn and of Belfast Royal Academy.  He served in 13 ChR and was KIA in Belgium on the 16.5.17 aged 30.  His death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Belgium, panels 19 and 22.  He was the son of John and Margaret B. Malone of Entroya, Fort William Park, Belfast.  His brother 2Lt. Bristow M. Malone 9RIrF was reported as missing and subsequently KIA on the 16.8.17.

MANNING, Major Robert Charles, DSO, MC, Legion of Honour, Mentioned in Dispatches.  Born at Rathgar, Co. Dublin on the 6 July 1889, he attended Trinity where he joined the OTC.  Graduating as a civil engineer he subsequently emigrated to Canada where he enlisted in the Divisional Cycling Company (no. 2128) at Valcartier on the 26 September 1914.  A single man at the time of his enlistment, he was 5’ 7” tall, had a 35” chest (fully expanded with a 2½” range of expansion), dark complexion, brown eyes and dark hair.  He also had a mole on his left breast and two scars on his left shoulder.  He served for a time as QMS 2128 with the Divisional Mounted Troops of the 1^st Canadian Division and subsequently as an officer in 170th Tunnelling Co. RE.  Most of the “Weekly Mine and Progress Reports” in the units War Diary from the 5 July 1916 are signed by Manning – at which time he held the rank of Captain.

A telegram to his wife from the War Office dated the 7 September 1918 informed her that he had been admitted wounded to a CCS and was dangerously ill.  “Visit not possible”, it tersely recorded.  In fact, Robert Manning had died of his wounds at No. 22 CCS possibly in Pernes, France on the 6 September 1918 age 29.  The son of Lionel John and F. M. Manning of Valley, Anglesey (at the time of his enlistment in Canada) and Hillsborough, Co. Down he was also the husband of Annie Frances Manning of Valley, Anglesey, presumably having married some time after enlisting in Canada.   A letter from her solicitor to the War Office on the 14 April 1919 records that “Mrs. Manning is now in a nursing home expecting her confinement”.  In other words at the time of her husband’s death she would have been about two months pregnant.  Robert Manning is buried in Pernes British Cemetery, Pas De Calais, France, plot 6, row A, grave 38.

The War Diary for 170 Tunnelling Company does not shed any light directly on his death.  However, the Weekly Mine and Progress Report for the 4 September 1918, the last one signed by Manning, refers to “maintenance of mine system and  … subways.  Listening nil.  Supervision of trench digging and wiring [in the] Le Brebis … and Mazingarbe localit[ies]”  In addition an investigation party had “discovered 4 booby traps” and more were found on the 6 September, the day of his death, on the 55 Division front … in Towpath Alley Trench.  “15 large trench mortars … were discovered buried in the bottom of the trench; nose caps uppermost and four feet apart.  The nose caps were just visible and were level with the bottom of the trench.  There were no duckboards in the trench.  Thirteen of these trench mortars had ordinary nose caps, but in two of them the proper nose cap had been removed and another substituted.  This was loose and carried a striking pin, the whole being supported by a light spring.  Any pressure on this nose cap would have driven the striker into the detonator and exploded the trench mortar.  The fifth and tenth trench mortars had the lose nose caps.  Another trap was discovered … .  A long piece of loose wire was found lying in the trench; this was traced up and found to be connected to the string of the ordinary stick bomb”.  There is no reference to any other incident and no proof that his injuries were linked to the booby traps; that simply remains a possibility.

 

MARKS, Rifleman Robert.  Born in Ballymena, he had served in the Boer War and had been employed at Millar and Stevenson’s coal yard.  A reservist, he enlisting in Lisburn, and served in A Company 11 RIR (18397) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1 July 1916 aged 34, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the husband of Alice Marks of 11 Back Lane and Drumbeg, Lisburn.  They had two children.  In an In Memoriam notice published in the Herald on the 30.6.17, she included the simple comment, “Not lost, but gone before”.  After the war, on the 28 June 1919, she had an In Memoriam notice published in the same paper.  “Buried in the hearts of those who loved him.  Deeply regretted by his loving wife and two children”.  His brother Jack Marks was also on active service while his sister Mrs. Rose Bruce lived at Brucedale, Wards River in New South Wales.  On the 9 August 1919 she and her husband Robert and their children John, Robert, Bert, Margaret and Mertyl included another In Memoriam notice in the Herald.  “We, who loved you, sadly miss you, As it dawns another year; In the lonely hours of thinking, Thoughts of you are ever near”.

MARKS, Rifleman Thomas.  Born in Belfast and living at Lambeg, he was a member Sommerhill LOL 137 and of the UVF.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in B Company 11 RIR (16862) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Reported missing on the 16.7.16 and subsequently, in June 1917, he was confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, and on the family headstone in Derriaghy parish church graveyard.  He was the only son of Mary Ann and Thomas Marks of Mosside, Dunmurry.  She had died on the 9.8.05 and Thomas on the 9.11.19.

MARNELL, Lance corporal Dominic.  Born in Lisburn where he lived with his grandmother, Mrs. Marnell, at Ava Street, he was employed in Barbours Mill at Hilden.  Enlisting at Lisburn, he served in 5 RIrF (4/3845), DoW in Palestine on the 18.3.18 and is buried in Jerusalem War Cemetery, Palestine, row Q, grave 67.  He was the son of the late William Marnell and grandson of the late Constable John Marnell, RIC, Lisburn.

MARSHALL, Rifleman Charles Dunlop.  Born in Ballylesson, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 11 RIR (428).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 34, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.  He was the son of Joseph and Matilda Marshall of Primrose Villa, Ballylesson, and husband of Elizabeth Marshall of 16 Rutland Street, Belfast.

MARTIN, Private Alexander (Alex).  Emigrated to Australia in 1913 and a few months later to New Zealand where he enlisted, serving in the AckR, NZ Infantry (12/800).  After initial training he was sent to Egypt where he was involved in fighting against the Turks.  In his last letter home, “he complained of the weariness of inactivity” and how it was, “awful to lie here in idleness and read of all the fighting that was going on” in Europe where he wished he would be sent.  Initially reported missing after the first Dardanelles landings, he was subsequently (probably early 1916) reported KIA in Gallipoli on the 25.4.15 aged 20.  His death is commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli, panel 72 and on the family headstone in Magheragall Parish church graveyard.  He was the son of John Martin, a member of Lisburn Board of Guardians and a rural councilor in Magheragall, and Isabella Martin, Moor Farm, Hallstown, Magheragall and nephew of Mr. A.S. Mayes, of Bellevue and William Martin of Park Parade, Lisburn.  A tribute to Alex Martin was paid by the Rev. Dundas of Magheragall Parish Church before his sermon on Sunday the 20 June 1915.  His brother Second Lieutenant W.R. Martin served in the RIR during the war.  He had been studying for the Ministry when the war broke out and received his commission through QUB OTC in December 1916.  Involved in the fighting at Messines in early June 1917, a long letter to his father describing his experiences then was published in the Standard on the 22.6.17.  Reported wounded in late November or early December that year, he appears to have survived the war.

MARTIN, Rifleman David.  Born in Blaris, before the war he lived with his aunt Isablla Martin in Lisburn, and was employed in William Barbour and Sons mill at Hilden.  He enlisted at Lisburn after having got his father’s permission as he was underage, and served in D Company 11 RIR (4732) with three of his uncles.  He embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915 and was KIA on the Somme on the 17.6.16 aged 17.  According to one of his officers, Captain O.B. Webb who commanded D Company, and wrote to his aunt informing her of his death, he was on a working party in the trenches and, “was caught by a shrapnel bullet which entered his chest in the region of his heart.  I am glad to say he felt no pain.  He never was conscious and death came quickly.  He was a great boy, afraid of nothing, and we all feel his loss very deeply”.  CSM John Bell also wrote to Isabella Martin expressing condolences and hoping that, “we may soon be able to avenge him”.  He is buried in Authuile Military Cemetery, France row C, grave 20, there is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of Sergeant David Martin of 122 Longstone Street, Lisburn and 19 (Reserve) Battalion, RIR, and nephew of Miss Isabella Martin of 20 Hillhall Road, Lisburn.  Captain Oswald Brooke Webb was not to survive Martin for long.  He died of wounds on the 4.7.16 aged 37.  His family were from Randalstown and he is buried in  Warloy-Baillon Communal Cemetery Extension Somme, France, plot 3, row B, grave 2.

MARTIN, Corporal David J.  He lived at Drumlough, Hillsborough, Co. Down and served in 5 CMR, QR, (110362).  He died in France on the 1/2.10.16 and is buried in Regina Trench Cemetery, Grandcourt, France, plot 2, row A, grave 2.

MARTIN, Private Eric Franklin.  Born in Dublin, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Flixton Park and served originally in 2/1 Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, before transferring to 16 Squadron MGC(C) (47904).  He was posted missing believed drowned and subsequently confirmed as drowned in Mesopotamia on the 28.10.18 aged 28.  His death is commemorated on the Basra Memorial, Iraq, panel 41.  He was the son of the Rev. Pierce and Rose Edith Martin of Osborne Park and later 34 Bawnmore Road, Balmoral, Belfast.

MARTIN, Private Henry.  Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in the RIR (663) before transferring to 2 Garrison battalion KLR (9012).  He died in Salonica on the 5.1.18 and is buried in Salonika (Lembet Road) Military Cemetery, Greece, grave 1337.

MARTIN, Rifleman James Edward.  Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 11 RIR (3894).  He was KIA in Belgium on the 1.9.16 and his death is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, panel 40.  He was the husband of Mrs. S. Martin of Millbrook, Low Road, 26 Sloan Street, and 40 Canal Street, Lisburn with whom he had a small family.  On the 15.9.17 his wife included the following poem along with an In Memoriam notice in the Herald .  “What peaceful hours I once enjoyed, How sweet their memory still; But they have left an aching void, The world can never fill”.

MARTIN, Private Thomas.  Born in Carrickfergus, he enlisted at Belfast, originally serving in RFA (4048) he transferred to 16 (Transport Workers) battalion YLR (29730).  He died at “home” on the 27.9.16 and is buried in Belfast City Cemetery, plot O, grave 200.  He was the husband of Eleen Martin of 1 Poplar Vale, Antrim Road, Lisburn.

MARTIN, 2nd. Lieutenant William Henry. Served in 9 attached to 6 KSLI.  He died on the 27.11.18 and is buried in St. Malachi’s churchyard, Hillsborough.

MASSEY, Private Archibald.  Born in Augher, Co. Tyrone, he lived at Dunmurry, enlisted at Clogher and served in 9 RInF (13558).  He was reported wounded and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 and his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France pier and face 4 D and 5 B.

MATHERS, Private, Thomas William.  Born in Shankill, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RInF (3725).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.4.17 age 22, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 4 D and 5 B.  He was the son of John Mathers of Ballymagarahan, Moira, Co. Down.

MATIER Sergeant J.  Served in 12 RIR 2550.  He died at “home” on the 9.1.20 age 31 and is buried in Lisburn Cemetery, grave E 100.  He was the son of John and Mary Ann Matier and husband of Margaret Matier of 49 Antrim Street, Lisburn.

MATTHEWS, Rifleman William.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Hollywood and served in 2 RIR (6174).  KIA on the Somme on the 24.3.18 aged 19, his death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France.  He was the son of Patrick and Lucy Matthews of 6 Chapel Hill, Lisburn.

MAWHINNEY, Rifleman Joseph.  See Rifleman Joseph Mawhinney Harvey.

MAXWELL, Sergeant Ralph.  Born in Belfast on the 6.5.1889, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 15 RIR (13268).  Wounded on the Somme on the 1.7.16, he DoW in London on the 11.8.16 aged 27.  Buried in Derriaghy parish church graveyard “with full military honours” in the same grave as his grandparents, parents, aunt, uncle and cousin, he was the son of Ralph Maxwell who died on the 10.5.18 aged 63, and Jane Maxwell who died on the 25.6.49 aged 93.  His parents lived at 88 Everton Street, Belfast.

MacHENRY, Private John.  Born in Antrim on the 2 May 1885 he served his apprenticeship with his father before emigrating to Canada in about 1912.  By 1915 he was living at 923 Lipton Street, Winnipeg and it was there that he enlisted on the 17 November that year.  A single man with no military experience and a clerk by profession he was, at least according to the Stnd., “one of the first to respond to the call of King and Country in the Dominion”.  5’ 8” tall with a 37” chest (fully expanded) and a 3” range of expansion, he had a fair complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair.  Serving in 78 CI, MtbaR (148437), he was KIA at Vimy Ridge in France on the 9 April 1917 aged 33, and is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial, Pas de Calais, France.  The youngest son of David, a building contractor of Lisburn and Moss Side, Dunmurry, Co. Antrim, and Rebecca MacHenry, both his parents died shortly before the war, his father on the 2.3.13 aged 61, and mother on the 14.5.13 aged 57.  At the time of his enlistment John MacHenry gave his sister Margaret Stevenson as his next of kin.  She lived at 6 Indiana Avenue, Belfast.  His parents are buried in Derriaghy parish church graveyard where their son’s death is commemorated on their headstone.  His grandparents and aunt Ann Jane who died on the 26.8.35 aged 80, are buried in the same grave.

McALLISTER, Private James.  Born in and enlisting at Lisburn, where he lived, he served in 8 RInF (15151).  KIA on the Somme on the 6.9.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial France, pier and face 4D or 5B.

McBRIDE, Rifleman Alex.  Born in Ballykeel Co. Down, he lived in Lisburn where he enlisted, possibly in 11 RIR.  He may have embarked with them for France from Bordon in October in 1915 and subsequently transferred to 12 RIR (18191) when 11 RIR were disbanded.  Reported wounded in early May 1918 he had in fact been KIA in Belgium on the 23.10.18 aged 33, he is buried in Ingoyghem Military Cemetery, Belgium, row C, grave 11.  He was the son of Alexander and Martha McBride of 22 Old Hillsborough Road, Lisburn.

McBRIDE, Rifleman Andrew.  Born in Lisburn, he lived at 46 Antrim Street in the town, enlisted at Belfast and served in 10 RIR (15202).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 24, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the son of James McBride of Lisburn, and the late Margaret Ann McBride.  He was also survived by his son Thomas.

McBRIDE, Rifleman Daniel.  Born at Ballylesson, Co. Down, he lived at Ballyaughlis, Lisburn, enlisting at Belfast, served in 2 RIR (5845) and DoW in Belgium on the 12.8.17.  He is buried in Dozinghem Military Cemetery, Poperinge, Belgium, plot 3, row E, grave 24.  He was the eldest son of Hugh McBride of Ballyaughlis, Lisburn.

 

McBRIDE, Rifleman Robert.  Born in and enlisted at Lisburn, he served in 1 RIR (9246).  KIA in France on the 10.3.15 aged 29, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, Richebourg-l’Avoue, France, panels 42 and 43.  He was the son of Edward and Annie McBride of 28 Millbrook Road, Low Road, Lisburn.

McBRIDE, Rifleman R.  Commemorated on Lisburn and Lisburn Cathedral War Memorials, there is no positive trace so far.

 

McCABE, Lance Corporal John.  He lived at Carman’s Row, Lambeg with his wife and three children and DoW in Gallipoli sometime before the 20.8.15 while serving in 1 BR, the same battalion as his brother William Henry McCabe, below.  The son of Mr. And Mrs. McCabe of 1 Green Hill, Lambeg, his sister was married to Private Joseph McMordie from the Low Road who had enlisted in the Motor Transport Corps.  He appears to have survived the war. There is no trace of John McCabe in the CWGC register, WOCL or IMR although the CWGC and WOCL have a Sergeant James McCabe.  Born in Workington, Cumberland, he enlisted at Darlington, Co. Durham and served in 8 BR (12232).  He DoW in Belgium on the 3.8.17 and his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Belgium, panel 35.  However, he does not feature in IMR.

 

McCABE, Private William Henry.  Born in  Armagh, he lived with his wife in Howwood, Renfrew.  They had no children.  Enlisting in Glasgow he served in 1 BR (19252), the same battalion as his brother John McCabe, above.  He Dow in Gallipoli on the 29.6.15 and his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 119-125 or 222-223.  He was the son of Mr. And Mrs. McCabe of 1 Green Hill, Lambeg.  His sister was married to Private Joseph McMordie from the Low Road who had enlisted in the Motor Transport Corps.  He appears to have survived the war.

 

McCABE, Rifleman Robert Daniel.  Born in Moy, Co. Armagh, he lived at Lambeg, where he was employed at the Lambeg Weaving Company.  A member of the Orange, Black and Rechabite Orders, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR (18196) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Wounded at the front in September or early October 1917, he was brought back to hospital in England where he was operated on, returned home to Lisburn and discharged.  However, about ten days later on the 18.10.17, he died at the County Antrim Infirmary in Lisburn “from the effects of gas poisoning and internal injuries received on active service” He was 27 years old.  Buried in Lambeg Parish Church graveyard on Saturday the 20 October 1917, the headstone inscription reads, “Until the day break and the shadows flee away”.  He was the seventh son of Henry and Jane McCabe of 3 Green Hill, Lambeg, Co. Down and was one of four brothers who joined the army.  At the time of his death, two of them had already been discharged.  The fourth, Jack McCabe, who was also serving with the Rifles, arrived home on leave on the day that Robert died.  Another brother Sam “was involved in transport work”.

McCALLA, Sergeant James C.  From Cargygray, Hillsborough, Co. Down, he served in the South African Infantry.  There is no further trace so far.

McCANCE, Second Lieutenant Finlay.  Served in 2 BR, he DoW in France on the 22.5.15 age 23 and is buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Pas De Calais, France, plot 2, row A, grave 19.  He was the eldest son of J. Stouppe McCance and Mary McCance of Woodbourne, Dunmurry, Co. Antrim.

McCANN, Private David.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Longstone Street in the town.  A reservist in the RIR, he enlisting at Lisburn, he was served in that regiment (4904) before transferring to the MGC (29074).  Wounded three times before the end of 1916, he was KIA in Belgium on the 22.10.18 aged 23 and is buried in Harlebeke New British Cemetery, Belgium, plot 4, row C, grave 6.  He was the son of Mrs. Mary Jane McCann of 5 Millview, Chapel Hill, Lisburn.  He had two brothers serving as well.

McCANN, Rifleman Edward.  Born in Lisburn, he lived on the Old Hillsborough Road in the town, enlisted at Lisburn, and served in A Company 11 RIR with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Wounded on the Somme on the 1.7.16 and subsequently transferred to 12 RIR (18202) he was KIA in Belgium on the 16.10.18 aged 21.  His death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140.  He was the son of David and Maggie McCann of 5 Laganside Terrace, Old Hillsborough Road, Lisburn, Co. Down.  David McCann worked at Messrs. Robert Stewart and Sons.

McCANN, Private Henry.  Born in Dunmurry, he lived in Belfast, enlisted at Holywood and served in 13 RIR (18201).  Subsequently transferred to the LC (592718) he died at “home” on the 10.11.18 age 24 and is buried in Aghalee Cemetery, County Antrim near the North-East boundary.  He was the son of William and Isabella McCann of Glencraig, Craigavad, Co. Down, and brother of John William McCann, below.

McCANN, Rifleman James Henry.  Born in Blaris, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Lisburn, and served in 2 RIR (11331).  KIA on the Somme on the 9.7.16, his battalion was part of the 25^th. Division which was involved in the attack on Ovillers.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15A/B.

McCANN, Rifleman John William.  Born in Dunmurry, he enlisted at Belfast and served in C Company 8 RIR (611).  KIA in France on the 23.11.17 age 19, his death is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial, Louverval, Nord, France, panel 10.  He was the son of William and lsabella McCann of Glencraig, Craigavad, Co. Down, and brother of Henry McCann, above.

McCANN, Private Thomas.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Lambeg, and had served in the Boer War.  He re-enlisted at Belfast at the start of the war and served in 8 KRIH (13029).  KIA in France on the 31.3.18, his death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France, panels 3-4 or 13-14.  He had two brothers serving and two discharged.

McCANN, Thompson.   Served in the RIR.  He is commemorated on Aghalee (Holy Trinity) Parish Church War Memorial, however, there is no positive trace so far.

McCARROLL, Private Thomas John.  Born in Lisburn, he was a member of Derriaghy Parish Church and lived at Belfast where he enlisted.  He served in the RInF (14355) before transferring to 1 RMF (5035).  Wounded in Gallipoli, on his recovery he was sent to France where he was wounded again on the 24 March 1918.  KIA in France on the 28.6.18 a week after returning to the trenches, he was 26 years old.  He is buried in Couin New British Cemetery, France, row C, grave 1.  The son of Mary McCarroll of 14 Colchester Street, Donegall Road, Belfast, one of his officers described him as, “one of the very best men in the Company, and one whom I will find it hard to replace.  He was always cheerful and did his work splendidly”.

McCARTAN, Private Thomas.  Born in Aghagallon, Co. Antrim, (about a mile south west of Aghalee on the road to Lurgan), he lived in Lurgan, enlisted at Belfast and served in 8 RIrF (20961).  KIA in France on the 3.4.16 aged 25, he is buried in Dud Corner Cemetery, Loos, France, plot 2, row H, grave 4.  He was the husband of Cecelia McCartan of Deerpark, Gawley’s Gate, Lurgan, Co. Armagh and son of John and Mary McCartan.  His death is also commemorated on the family headstone in Glenavy, St. Joseph’s RC church graveyard where John McCartan who died 25.7.1931 aged 75? years and Mary McCartan who died on the 24.5.1946 are buried.  They also lost three other children at relatively early ages though none as a result of the war.  These were their son John on the 20.11.1918 aged 20, a daughter Agnes on the 13.1.1919 aged 18 and another son Bernard on the 20.4.1925 aged 22.  The family headstone also records the death of Helena McCartan on the 17.11.1979 aged 83, though the family relationship is not given.

 

McCARTER, Sergeant Robert.  Born in Templemore, Co. Derry, he had been foreman printer/compositor for the Lisburn Herald for a number of years before the war.  A “strong Unionist,” secretary of LOL 128 and member of the local battalion of the UVF, he had “some military experience”.  On the outbreak of the war he enlisted in 11 RIR (18129) at Lisburn, was given his old rank of Corporal and attached to the clerical staff.  He went with his battalion to Seaford and then to Borden Camp at Aldershot.  However, because of his age, he was transferred to 18 RIR (11/18129) at Clandeboye and promoted to sergeant when the Ulster Division left for France early in October 1915.  It was from there that he wrote to his wife in April 1916 saying that he would be home on leave on Saturday the 15^th.  He was never to arrive.  That evening he was found lying unconscious on the “permanent way” of the Great Northern Railway at Belfast Station about 20 minutes after the departure of the 7.30 train for Lisburn.  Taken immediately to the Military Hospital, Victoria Barracks, Belfast, he was found to have several broken ribs on the left hand side of his chest and bruises on his chest and arms.  He died at 9.30 on the evening of the 15.4.16 aged 43 “from shock” caused by internal injuries.  Buried with full military honours in Lisburn Cemetery, Old section, plot B, grave 227 on Tuesday 18 April, the headstone inscription reads, “At the rivers crystal brink Christ shall join each broken link”.  He was the husband of Mary Ann McCarter of 52 Hill Street, Lisburn.  They had nine children ranging from 3 to 18 years of age.  Exactly what had happened to Robert McCarter was never fully established.  An inquest into his death was held in Victoria Barracks on Monday 17 April and was continued at the GNR station in Belfast on Thursday 20 April so that the jury would have an opportunity to examine the scene of the accident and in particular inspect the lighting.  After “a prolonged absence” to consider the evidence, they returned the verdict that death was the result of “injuries caused by a train being shunted out of No. 3 platform”, at the same time, expressing the opinion that “the railway officials did not give satisfactory evidence as to how McCarter met his death”.  They were particularly critical of William Pearson, a carriage examiner at the station who had found McCarter.  In their view he “did not act humanely”.  The GNR was also criticised “for not taking proper precautions”.

McCARTHY, CSM John.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down on the 21.09.1888, he was a policeman with 3 years service in the RIC.  A single man with no previous military experience he joined up at Brandon, Manitoba, Canada on the 24.07.1915.  6’2” tall, he had a 39½” chest fully expanded with 3’ expansion, fair complexion, blue eyes and fair hair.  Passed fit for overseas service on the 1.9.1915 he was posted to the 79 Overseas Battalion, CEF and later to 8 COR, CEF (150154).  He died in France on the 28.4.17 aged 28 and is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial, France.  He was the son of Jane McCarthy and the late John R. McCarthy of Corcreeny, Hillsborough, Co. Down.

McCARTHY, Sergeant Robert, M.M.  Born in Lurganure, Co. Down, he lived at Knockmore, Co. Antrim and served his apprenticeship as a printer in the office of the Lisburn Herald before joining the RIC.  At the time of the outbreak of the war he was stationed at the Cullingtree Road Barracks in Belfast. He enlisted in 2 IG (6528), at Dublin, being amongst the first policemen to join that regiment.  Involved in “several fierce battles”, he was rapidly promoted and was awarded the MM “for conspicuous bravery in carrying ammunition to his men during a heavy engagement and carrying a wounded officer off the field”.  However, he did not survive long enough to receive his award.  Shortly after the action for which he was decorated, he took part in a raid on a German trench from which he never returned.  Originally reported as missing, he was subsequently in March 1917, listed as KIA on the Somme in France on the 15.9.16.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 7D.  He was the son of Mrs. M.A. McCarthy of Knockmore, Lisburn who received her son’s Military Medal in March 1917 and brother of Thomas McCarthy who served in the RAMC.  He appears to have survived the war.

McCARTNEY, Rifleman Matthew.  Born in Blaris, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Ballykinlar, Co. Down and served in 2 RIR (2318).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.6.15, his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Belgium, panel 40.

McCARTNEY, Rifleman Robert Law.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RIR (10310).  KIA in France on the 11.3.15, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France

McCARTNEY, Sergeant William James.  Born in Purdeysburn, he enlisted at Dublin and served in 7 RIR (1255).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, Belgium, panels 138 to 140, 162 to 162A and 163A.

 

McCAUGHERTY, Rifleman Archibald.  Born in Hilltown, Co. Down, he lived at Lisnatrunk, Lisburn, enlisted at Belfast and served in 13 RIR (19637).  Reported missing and subsequently, in May or June 1917, confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 26, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  He was the eldest son of William James and Margaret McCaugherty of Hillhall Meeting House Lane, Lisburn.

McCAUGHERTY, Rifleman Samuel.  Born and living in Lisburn at 5 Quay Street with his parents, before the war he was employed at E. Doherty & Sons, boot merchants in the town.  He enlisted at Lisburn and served in 2 RIR (10654).  He DoW in Belgium on the 7.6.17 and is buried in St. Quentin Cabaret Military Cemetery, Ploegsteert, Belgium, plot 2, row L, grave 6.

McCAULEY, Rifleman Robert.  Born and living in Dunmurry, he was a member of the UVF.  He enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR (18207) embarking with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  He DoW on the Somme on the 17.6.16 age 20 and is buried in Warloy-Baillon Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme, France, plot 3, row A, grave 7.  He was the son of the late James McCauley and Mary Elizabeth McConnell (formerly McCauley) of 2 Hill Street, Dunmurry, Belfast, and nephew of Alexander Bruce of Railway Street, Dunmurry.  A rifleman Roger M’Ilroy who served in 11 RIR and appears to have survived the war, also lived at 3 Hill Street, Dunmurry with his wife.  He worked for Riddell and Co., Donegall Place, Belfast and was a member of the McCartney Flute Band, Dunmurry.

McCLEAN, Private Joseph Henry.  Born in Lisburn, he lived at Brookhill, enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RIrF (29536).  He DoW in France on the 13.9.18 aged 19 from wounds received on the 4 September and is buried in Arneke British Cemetery, France, plot 7, row A, grave 13.  He was the son of William and Catherine McClean of 78 Frome Street, Belfast.

McCLEARY, Private William.  Born in Broomhedge, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RInF (3482).  KIA in Belgium on the 9.8.16 age 22 he is buried in Potijze Chateau Wood Cemetery, Ypres, row F, grave 1.  He was the son of Mrs. A. McCleery of 23 City Street, Belfast.

McCLEERY, Private Samuel.  Born and living in Corcreeny, Co. Down, he enlisted at Clandeboye and served in RIR (6457), possibly the 11^th battalion, with whom he may have embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Subsequently transferred to 108 Co. MGC(I) (19762) he died in France on the 19.7.16 and is buried in Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery, St. Omer, France, plot 4, row A, grave 2.

 

McCLUNE, Private William.  Born in Lambeg, he enlisted at Belfast and served in the RIR (5679), subsequently transferring to 3 RIrF (1277).  He died at “home” on the 15.8.18 aged 48 and is buried in Belfast City Cemetery.  He was the son of the late John and Elizabeth McClune.

McCLURE, Rifleman George.  Born and living in Moira, Co. Down, he enlisted at Lurgan and served in 16 RIR (62).  He was KIA in Belgium on the 16.4.18 age 24 and is buried in Canada Farm Cemetery, Belgium, plot 4, row A, grave 35.  This is next but one to Fred Law (above) who was also in 16 RIR.  He was the son of John and Jane McClure of Hillsborough, Co. Down.

McCLURE, Rifleman Thomas James (Tom).  Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 11 RIR (16701) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Killed by gas on the 1.9.16 aged 20, he is buried in Ration Farm, Le Plus Douve Cemetery annex, Ploegsteert, Belgium, plot 2, row C, grave 24.  This is the same grave number as Rifleman William Lamont (above) although they have separate headstones set side by side.  It is also next to Bugler Sam Ward (below) who died the same day.  Both served in 11 RIR There is no headstone inscription.  Some other 1.9.16 casualties may also have been killed by gas, and are buried in Bailleul Cemetery which is just over the Franco-Belgium border.  He was the son of Sarah and the late Lazey McClure of 88 Hillhall Road, Lisburn and husband of Margaret (Maggie) McClure who lived at 25 Ballynahinch Road, Lisburn with her parents William and Catherine McConnell.  They had a child.  His brothers-in-law Joseph McConnell, 11 RIR, and Corporal R. McConnell 2 RIR (5141) also lived there.  According to the Standard, Corporal McConnell “was wounded in 1915 and admitted to No. 1 General Hospital, Etaples, France on the 29 September 1915.  He had been wounded in the big forward movement which commenced the previous day.  He is making splendid recovery from his wounds so good indeed that he has been transferred to an hospital in Manchester”.  A year later he was serving in Salonica, having risen to the rank of Sergeant.  By then too Joseph McConnell had been wounded and was in hospital in Glasgow.  On the 1 September 1917 a series of five In Memoriam notices to Tom McClure appeared in the Herald.  All refer to the fact that he was killed by gas and all contain poems.  From his wife, Maggie.  “I do not forget thee Tom, nor do I intend.  I loved you daily, and will to the end; If the grave were to open, what changes you’d see, But eternal rest is better for thee”.  And from his mother, “Short was thy life my dearest son, But peaceful is thy rest; Mother misses you most of all, Because she loved you best”.

McCLURG, Rifleman Adam.  Born in Derriaghy, Co. Antrim, he lived at Milltown, Co. Antrim, and was a member of Sommerhill LOL 137.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in 11 RIR (16733) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 27.6.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.

McCOMB, Rifleman R.  Served in 3 RIR 9039.  He DoW on the 11.1.17 aged 43 and is buried in Lisburn Cemetery, new row D, grave 53.  He was the husband of Mary Ann McComb of 6 Barrack Lane, Lisburn.  The headstone inscription reads, “Gone but not forgotten.  In loving memory of my dear husband.  Died from wounds”.

McCOMB, Rifleman William Thomas.  Born in Derriaghy, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 10 RIR (17/980).  KIA on the Somme on the 22.12.15 aged 17, he is buried in Sucrerie Military Cemetery, Colincamps, France, plot 2, row D, grave 7.  The headstone inscription reads, “God is love”.  He was the son of Joseph and Ada McComb of 36 Coolbeg Street, Donegall Road, Belfast.

McCOMISKEY, Private John Patrick.  Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 7 LR (2178).  In February/March 1915 he was stationed in Killworth Camp, Co. Cork from where he, and possibly Francis McGreevy (below), wrote to the secretary of Lisburn Catholic Club thanking the members for sending him tobacco and cigarettes.  KIA on the Somme on the 9.9.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 16C.

McCOMISKEY, Rifleman John.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RIR (15373).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.

McCONKEY, 2nd Class Waiter, Christopher Evans.  Born in Hillsbrough, Co. Down, he served in the Mercantile Marine on the S.S. “Lusitania”.  He drowned as a result of an attack by an enemy submarine on the 7.5.15 age 45, and his death is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London.  He was the son of the late John and Bessie McConkey and husband of Annie McConkey (nee Peirce) of 25 St. Ambrose Grove, Liverpool.

McCONNELL, Private Herbert Isaac.  Born in Maralin, Co. Down, he enlisted at London and served in RAVC Depot, Woolwich (SE/2136).  He died at “home” on the 16.5.16 age 51 and is buried in Birmingham (Lodge Hill) Cemetery, Warwickshire, plot B10, row 4, grave 341.  He was the son of Arthur and Elizabeth McConnell of Moira, Co. Down, and husband of Elizabeth Eva McConnell of 28 Taylor Street, Newtown-on-Ayr.

McCONNELL  Lieutenant Harold Jeffrey.  An employee of Cox’s Bank, Charing Cross, London, he joined up as a private in the Public Schools Battalion at the start of the war.  Subsequently given a commission in 5 RIR (a training battalion) who were stationed at the Palace Barracks, Hollywood, he was sent to the front in May 1916 and was wounded in late June or early July that year.  Transferred to 98 Squadron RAF he died on the 31.5.18 age 24 and is buried in Larch Wood (Railway Cutting) Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium, plot 1, row B, grave 15.  He was the son of the late William and Mary McConnell of Lisnastrain, Lisburn and Spokane, Washington, U.S.A., nephew of Thomas McConnell, of Ballinderry and cousin of John T. McConnell, solicitor, of Lisburn.

 

McCONNELL, Rifleman Wesley.  Born in Besbrook, Co. Armagh, he enlisted at Lurgan, and served in 16 RIR (2399).  KIA in Belgium on the 30.9.18, he is buried in Dadizeele New British Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, plot 5, row A, grave 22.  He was the brother of Miss E. McConnell of Castleview, Lisburn.

McCORD, Gunner Joseph.  Born in Ballinderry, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 40 Company RGA (48238).  He died in hospital in Dover on the 6.10.15 and is buried in Dover (St. James’s) Cemetery, Kent, grave LK 24.

McCORD, Sergeant Thomas (Tom) Bunting MM.  Born and living in Ballinderry Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Leicester and served in 18 (4th Glasgow battalion) HLI (41461).  KIA in Belgium on the 30.9.18 age 35, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot memorial, Belgium, panels 131-132 and on the family headstone in Ballinderry Presbyterian church graveyard.  He was the son of Elizabeth (Eliza) McCord of The Weir, Ballinderry, Lisburn, Co. Antrim who died on the 20.6.35 aged 89, and the late George McCord who died on the 20.7.06 aged 74.  He also had two sisters who died in the Belgian Congo.  Florence E. on the 12.8.20 aged 34 and Lucy W. who died at Todoa in the Congo on the 3.11.40 aged 52.  The headstone inscription reads, “They rest from their labours and thy works do follow them”.  Could the sisters have been missionaries?  A brother George Richard who died on the 2.4.69 aged 92 and his wife Lillie Susan 14.4.65 aged 88 are also buried in the family plot in the churchyard.

 

McCORMACK, Major (Doctor) Campbell McNeill MC and 2 bars.  Educated initially at the Carr and Ballymacbrennan National Schools, he won a scholarship to Lisburn Intermediate School, subsequently Wallace High School, where he won exhibitions in the junior, middle and senior schools, and then an entrance scholarship of £30 to QUB to study medicine.  He qualified as a doctor in June 1914 and, having been in the OTC at Queens, (where he was the best shot in his Company and won four bronze medals for training), joined the Reserve of Officers (RAMC) going to Aldershot at the end of June for preliminary training.  On completion of this he expecting to be able to return home to Drumbo for a short holiday but the outbreak of war intervened.  Posted briefly to Dublin, he subsequently embarked for France, with the medical contingent of the Aldershot Division on the night of the 7.8.14.  Heavily involved in the retreat from Mons, he “came to prominence for good work bravely performed at Hill 60” a heavily contested area of high ground outside Ypres.  Writing home afterwards, he commented that it was, “a miracle more of them did not get knocked out”.  He was also mentioned in dispatches, “for gallant and distinguished conduct in the field” in Sir John French’s last dispatch, by which time he had been promoted to the rank of Captain.  Awarded the MC in September 1916, the citation published in the London Gazette read, “For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during operations.  He directed the stretcher-bearers under heavy shellfire with the greatest coolness and courage.  He succeeded in entering a village which had been heavily shelled, and, with another captain, a sergeant and four men, collected the wounded into a dug-out and succeeded in getting them back later.  He has frequently shown great courage.”

He was married to Ella Todd Warnock of Fernleigh, Endsleigh Drive, Belfast, in Drumbo Presbyterian Church on Wednesday the 12 September 1917.  She was the only daughter of the late Rev. James Warnock formerly minister of of Drumbo and of Kroonstad, South Africa South Africa where he had gone for the sake of his health.  One of the ministers officiating was the Rev. Joseph Cordner who may have been the father of James Cordner above, who was KIA in April 1918.  The best man was Hugh McCormack the bridegroom’s brother who was later to have Campbell’s death commemorated on his own headstone, and the bride was given away by her uncle Mr. Christopher Todd.  The reception was held at Fernleigh, the home of the bride and Mrs. Crail, her aunt, before the couple left for their honeymoon at Mallaranny, Co. Galway and Recess and Co. Galway.  The gifts which the couple exchanged were a gold ring set with diamonds and a leather travelling case with solid silver fittings, while the officers and men of 15 Field Ambulance gave them a silver salver.  From Campbell McCormack’s parents, they received a hand embroidered bedspread and from Christopher Todd, a cheque for £100.

Slightly wounded in late August or early September 1918, he was KIA in France on the 22.9.1918 two days after coming out of hospital and just over a year after his marriage.  He was 27 years old and was serving in the 5^th (or possibly 15^th) Field Ambulance RAMC.  He is buried in Barastre Communal cemetery, Pas de Calsis, France, grave 11.  (Barastre lies about 6 Km. SE of Bapaume between the Somme and Cambrai battlefields).  He was the youngest son of William McCormack, a farmer, and Mrs. McCormack of Hillhall House, Lisburn, Co. Down.  His death is also commemorated on his brother’s (H.H. McCormack’s) headstone in Drumbo Presbyterian Church graveyard.  He (H.H. McC) died on the 12.8.80.

In a letter to his parents shortly after his death, Major F.R. Thornton (RAMC) wrote, “I think by this time you will have received news of Major McCormack’s death yesterday morning.  A shell hit the shelter in which he and Colonel Bradley were sleeping and both were killed at once.  He was buried yesterday afternoon in the cemetery close by in the presence of all the men of his ambulance who could be spared, and detachments from the other ambulances of the division.  The General commanding the Division and many other officers were present.  At the special request of the men his body was carried to the grave by the N.C.O.’s of the unit.  It is difficult for me to express to you the deep sympathy that I feel, as I realise what a terrible loss it must be to you all.  We all feel it most deeply, as he was beloved by officers and men.  Of his unselfishness and courage it is needless to speak, for the men would follow him anywhere, or do anything which he asked them to do.  I wonder if you have any small photographs of him, I should, myself, so much like one and the other officers are asking for it; in addition if you could let us have a few, I know how deeply some of our N.C.O.’s and men of his section would appreciate them.  With my very deepest condolence”.

Frederick Hoysted Bradley  DSO, Lieutenant Colonel attached to the 15th Field Ambulance RAMC who was killed with Campbell McCormack on the 22 September 1918, was 34 years old.  He was the son of the Rev. Canon W. H. and Mrs. Bradley of Monaghan and husband of the late Ellen Lacey Hargreaves of Liverpool.  He is buried beside McCormack in Barastre Communal Cemetery, France grave 10.

The announcement of the first bar to his MC was made soon after his death.  The citation read. “For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty.  During an important engagement he organised the evacuation of the wounded with great skill and devotion to duty, proceeding frequently himself in charge of bearers, through heavy shelling, to the rear aid posts.  It was largely due to his able organisation and fine example of self-sacrificing gallantry that the numerous casualties were evacuated so expeditiously”.

News of a second bar followed shortly after and was reported in the Lisburn Standard on the 25 October.  The circumstances surrounding the award were, at that time unknown, although according to the paper, “it is believed he won it when he was wounded about eleven days before his death”.  More poignantly though news of it arrived, “on the day that Major McCormack’s infant (still born) and only child was being buried”.

A year after his death his parents had an “In Memoriam” notice published in the Standard, “In sad and loving memory of our dear son”.  It finished with a short poem. “We little thought when we last met, That he would n’er return, That he so soon would sleep in death, and leave us here to mourn”.

McCORMICK Rifleman Archibald.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Hollywood, Co. Down and served in D Company 2 RIR (7044).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.6.15 aged 22, his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Belgium.  He was the son of Andrew and Mary Anne McCormick.

McCORMICK, Private Edward.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RInF (8426).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 22.5.15, his death is commemorated on special memorial C 60 in Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery, Helles, Gallipoli.

McCOSH, Lance corporal Samuel Osborne.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Whiteabbey and served in 12 RIR (12/18145).  Taken prisoner, he died while a PoW in Germany on the 19.6.18 and is buried in Niederzwehren Cemetery, Cassel, Germany, plot 1, row J, grave 16.

McCRACKEN, Rifleman James.  Born and living in Maralin, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 15 RIR (408).  KIA in Belgium on the 4.8.17, his death is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Ypres, Belgium, panel 40.

McCREADY, Private George.  Born in Belfast, he enlisted at Glasgow and served in 2 RSR, BEF (L/6353).  KIA in Belgium on the 30.10.14 his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Belgium, panel 20.

McCREEDY, Rifleman John.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RIR (6272).  KIA in Belgium on the 9.5.15 (the same day as R. McGeown, below), his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Belgium.

McCULLAGH, Second Lieutenant Alexander Henry (Harry).  Before the war he had been studying for the Civil Service and was a student at Connell’s Academy, Belfast.  He received his commission from the Cadet Force, Fermoy on the 19.12.16, proceeding to the front on the 16.2.17 where he served in 11 RInF attached to 109 Trench Mortar Battery.  Reported wounded and MIA and subsequently KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 age 21, he is buried in New Irish Farm Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium, plot 7, row D, grave 9.  He was the eldest son of William McCullagh of 45 Ponsonby Avenue, Antrim Road, Belfast who was principal of Upper Ballinderry National School.  The following poem “In Memory of Second Lieut. Harry McCullagh … killed at an outpost in Flanders” was published in the Standard on the 14.9.17.  “His life was like an open flower, Which grew more lovely as it grew; His honest heart was kind and true, A gentle soul with manly power.  And many were the bonds, and dear, Which bound him fast to friends and home, And days of love and hope had come, With promise of a bright career.  Then came the trumpet-call for men, To fight for Honour, Country, King, And all he loved, each precious thing, He laid upon the alter then.  Not lightly was the task assayed, He felt the horror of the war, And knew that death might claim him there, He knew, and yet was not afraid.  Then calmly did the youth prepare, For the dread battle-front and go, Where death had laid the bravest low, And sad hearts prayed, “God shield him there.”  God sometimes leads us by a road, Dark with the mystery of pain, But when we see the light again, We know the road has led to God.  For him the path of duty lay, Across the path of Death; but lo! As all things vanished here below, There dawned the morn of endless day.  Above that outpost where he fell, Now shines a rainbow with a cross; Thus o’er the symbol of our loss, We see God’s signal “All is well.”  Harry, thy memory will remain, (Though mixed with many a tender smart), A joy in every loving heart, Which knew thee, till we meet again”.

McCULLOUGH, Rifleman Andrew.  Born in Lisburn, he lived at Lower Plantation, Lisburn, and before the war had worked at the Island Mill in the town.  A member of the South Antrim Volunteers (UVF), he enlisted in Lisburn at the outbreak of the war and served originally in 11 RIR (18254).  Wounded in 1916 he spent the next six months on a home posting.  Home on leave in September 1918, he was transferred to 2 KRRC (54226) on his return to the front.  Four weeks later he was KIA in France on the 19.10.18.  He is buried in Cross Roads Cemetery, Nord, France, plot 3, row B, grave 5.  He was the eldest son of Andrew McCullough of Plantation, Lisburn who received the news of his death on the 18 November, one week after the Armistice.

McCURRY  Second Lieutenant Alexander.  Joined the OTC at Queen’s University, Belfast and served in B Company 9 MGC(I).  Reported missing at Kemmel Hill and subsequently KIA in Belgium on the 25.4.18 age 20, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, Belgium, panels 154 to 159 and 163A, and on his grandfathers headstone in Magheragall Parish church graveyard.  He was the only son of James Isaac and Bessie McCurry of Lisnadill, Osborne Park, Belfast.  James Isaac died on the 13.11.46.

McDONALD, Private William.  Born in Aghalee, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RInF (8698).  KIA in Belgium on the 21.10.14, his death is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium, panel 5.

 

McDONALD, Rifleman William Robert.  Born in Ballinderry, Co. Antrim, he lived at Carrickfergus, enlisted at Belfast and served in I2 RIR (1617).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 32, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.  He was the son of Mrs. Fanny Hughes (formerly McDonald) of Rose’s Lane Ends, Belfast and husband of Susan Wilson (formerly McDonald) of Lower Dalky, Keady, Co. Armagh.

McDOWELL, Private Ernest Victor.  Born in Hagggardstown, Dundalk, Co. Louth on the 15.5.1892, he was an old scholar of Friends’ School, Lisburn which he entered on the 17.1.05.  His reports between then and his departure on the 20.12.07 were consistently good.  He enlisted at Dublin and served in the SIH (1494) before transferring to 7 (South Irish Horse battalion) RIrR (25544).  KIA in France on the 21.3.18, his death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France, panels 30-1.  He was the son of Robert and Jane McDowell from Dundalk.

McDOWELL, Rifleman J.   There are between 3 and 5 Riflemen J. McDowells from the area, 3 on Lisburn War Memorial and 1 each on Hilden War memorial and Legacurry Presbyterian Church Memorial.  The degree of overlap is unknown and other than the two others shown on the casualty list, there is no positive trace so far.

McDOWELL, Rifleman James.  Born in and enlisting at Lisburn, he served in 1 RIR (9247).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 aged 28, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140.  He was the son of Joseph and Jane McDowell of 95 Ballynahinch Road, Lisburn.

McDOWELL, Rifleman James.  Born and living in Lisburn, before the war was employed by his father.  Volunteering for service, he enlisted at Lisburn in 11 RIR (possibly B or C Company), and may have been wounded or reported MIA on the Somme following the fighting on the 1.7.16.  Transferred to 12 RIR (1185) when 11 and then 11/13 RIR were disbanded, he was KIA in Belgium on the 14.4.18.  His death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140.   He was the husband of Mrs. McDowell, Lisnoe, Lisburn and son of James and Ellen McDowell of 2 New Street, Low Road, Lisburn.  (New Street was off the Millbrook Road and is now approximately where Millbrook connects to the Queens Road).  In a letter of consolation to his wife, the Church of Ireland Chaplain to his old battalion wrote, “I knew him well in the old 11^th and 11/13^th Battalions of the Rifles, and always found him the same in disposition. He was cheerful and obliging in times of difficulty, and gallant and unselfish in the hour of danger.  He was a great favourite with officers and men, and quite a personality in his company.  We shall all miss him greatly, and feel that we have lost a staunch comrade and brave soldier”.  He was the brother of William McDowell (below) who had been KIA on the 1.7.16.

McDOWELL, Rifleman William George.  Born in Blaris, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in D Company 11 RIR (2548) embarking with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Listed as wounded and missing and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 20, he is buried in Cerisy-Gailly French National Cemetery, France, plot 2, row A, grave 11.  The headstone inscription reads, “At the river’s crystal brink Christ shall join each broken link”.  He was the son of James and Ellen McDowell of 2 New Street, Low Road, Lisburn.  New Street was off the Millbrook Road and is now approximately where Millbrook connects to the Queens Road.  His brother James McDowell (above) was killed in April 1918.

McELMURRAY, Stoker 2nd Class Henry Archie.  Served in the Royal Navy (K/42019) on HMS Partridge.  KIA while protecting a convoy in the North Sea on the 12.12.17 age 21, his death is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Hampshire, panel 26.  He was the son of Charles and Maggie McElmurray of Mullaghglass, Stoneyford, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.

McEVOY, Aircraftman 1st Class Francis.  Served in the 3rd Aircraft Depot RAF (55219).  He died on the 18.2.19 age 34, and is buried in Perreuse Chateau Franco-British National Cemetery, Seine-Et-Marne, France, plot 1, row C, grave 35.  He was the son of Francis and Mary McEvoy of Artana, Dromara, Co. Down.  The cemetery is situated within the grounds of the Chateau of Perreuse, Signy Pereuse, a hamlet of Signy-Signets, which is 7 kilometres south-west of La Ferte Sous-Jouarre and 60 kilometres east of Paris.  The Chateau was used by French medical units throughout the 1914-1918 War and the site of the Cemetery was presented by the owner, Mme. Dumez, to the French Government.  The British graves were all brought in from the battlefields.

McFALL, Private John.  He lived in Lisburn, and enlisted at Middlesborough, serving in 1 RDF (27531).  He DoW in France on the 18.7.18 and is buried in Tincourt New British Cemetery, France, plot 9, row E, grave 7.  There is no headstone inscription.

McFARLAND, Lance Corporal Robert.  Born in Belfast, he enlisted at Dublin and served in 5 RInF (5/16566).  KIA in Palestine on the 27.12.17, he is buried in Jerusalem War Cemetery, Israel, plot F, grave 35.  He was the son of the late Thomas McFarland.

 

McGEOWN, Private Edward.  Born in Derryloran, Co. Tyrone, he enlisted at Cookstown and served in 1 RInF (13206).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 28.4.15 age 20, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, panels 97 to 101.  He was the son of James and Mary Jane McGeown of 27 Milfort Avenue, Dunmurry.

 

McGEOWN, Irene Ethel.  Civilian.  Until a few years before the war, Irene McGeown had lived in Lisburn with her father who had run a stationer’s and photographer’s business in Market Square.  She died on the 26.8.1914 aged 33 as a result of a gunshot wound received at about 8.30 on the evening of the 23 August.  She was shot in the head by a military sentry outside the naval signaling station at Orlock Hill (mid way between Bangor and Donaghadee) as she was travelling in the back seat of a car driven by her brother-in-law Alfred Chapman, a clothing manufacturer of Malone Park Belfast.  The sentry had challenged Chapman four times to stop but, not seeing the sentry and only hearing one command to “Halt”, he had driven on.  The sentry opened fire hitting Irene McGeown in the head, although according to another version of events the sentry had fired a warning shot which had “richochetted over a tree” before hitting her.  She was taken initially to the farm of a Mr. Aird and then to Bangor Cottage Hospital where she died three days later.  At the inquest held into her death the jury, “attached no blame to anyone”.  A clerk working in Belfast, she was the sister of Clarence McGeown of 34 Wolseley Street, Belfast.

“This”, according to the Standard, “was one of the first realities of the war so far as Lisburn was concerned”.  It was not to be the last.  Nor was it to be the last incident to occur at Orlock.  On the 15 September 1915, just over a year after IreneMcGeown’s death, Alexander McGahey, a 52 year old butler employed by Harold Barbour of Strathearn, Dunmurry, was shot in similar circumstances.  He had been cycling home along the shore road and as he reached Orloch, was challenged by a sentry.  McGahey continued on his way, subsequently claiming that he was deaf and did not hear the sentry.  After repeating his challenge the soldier then thrust out his rifle to try to stop the butler as he cycled past.  This too had no effect and the sentry opened fire.  McGahey was hit in the lung and fell from his bike.  When he was taken to Bangor Hospital he was given little chance of survival although the following day his condition had improved.

McGEOWN, Rifleman Robert.  Born in Blaris Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Lisburn.  Possibly a reservist in 5 RIR, he served in 2 RIR (4908).  KIA near Hill 60 outside Ypres in Belgium on the 9.5.15 aged 36, his death is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, panel 40.  He was the son of William and Ann Jane McGeown of 47 Church Street, Lisburn.

McGIVERN, Rifleman John (Jack).  Born and living in Lambeg, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 2 RIR (3875).  Wounded three times, he was listed as missing from the 24.3.18 and subsequently as having died on the Somme on that date.  Commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France, he was the son of Mrs. McGivern of Tullynacross, Lisburn.  A short article in the Standard on the 10 May 1918 noted that, “she would be deeply grateful to anyone for news of her missing son”.  She had two other sons serving, Sam, who may have served in the RIR (2529) who was wounded twice, possibly once in June or July 1917, and James who was wounded once.  Both appear to have survived the war.  On the 29 December 1916 a letter from Arthur Moore 2 RIR to the secretary of the Hilden-Lambeg Work Association, appeared in the Standard.  In it he thanked them for comforts he had received.  “I am very grateful to you for the parcel, which came in very useful at the time, especially the Woodbine cigarettes; they were a treat.  Please give my thanks to the women of Hilden and Lambeg for the comforts, and I wish they all spend a happy Xmas and a pleasant New Year.  Jack McGivern wishes to be remembered to you all.  He received your kind parcel and thanks you for it”.

McGOWAN, Private James.  Born and living in Lisburn, he had twelve years service in the army before the war broke out.  Enlisting at Lurgan, he served in 1 RIrF 8546, going to the front with the first Expeditionary force in 1914.  Initially reported wounded and missing, he was KIA on the Somme on the 12.10.16.  Commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15A, he was the eldest son of the late James McGowan and Jane Graham of 15 Market lane, Lisburn. According to the Herald, he a brother killed in March 1915 and another brother and a brother-in-law serving.  This was probably Rifleman Thomas Graham, who was KIA in France on the 11.3.15 aged 18 he was the son of Jane Graham, formerly McGowan of 15 Market Lane, Lisburn and the late Edward Graham.  This means that she had been widowed twice and lost two sons in the war.

McGREEVY, Lance corporal, Francis Stanley.  Born in Lisburn, he was a tailor by trade and worked in Belfast.  Although when reporting his death, the Standard claimed that he had enlisted in January 1917, it is possible it may have been 1915.  On the 5 March that year the paper carried a short article about a Stanley McCreevy, John Patrick McComiskey (above) and others who were stationed with the Irish Brigade at Fermoy, writing to the secretary of Lisburn Catholic Club thanking the members for sending them tobacco and cigarettes.  He served in 5 RInF (20679) and was posted to Egypt, Mesopotamia and later the Western front.  Reported wounded in late May or early June 1917, he was KIA in France on the 8.10.18 age 22.  He had just returned to his battalion after being at home on leave.  Francis McGreevy is buried in Beaurevoir Communal Cemetery British Extension, Aisne, France, row A, grave 9.  He was the son of Patrick and Catherine E. McGreevy of Llewellyn Avenue, Lisburn and later of Flurry Bridge, Co. Armagh.  Patrick McGreevy had been employed for many years at Hilden.  The Standard for 12.10.17 has a report on a “recent” football match between Ireland and America that took place at Clark’s Athletic Field, East Newark.  Ireland won 3:2 with two of the goals being scored by Tom McGreevy, “the famous Irish runner” of llwellyn Avenue, Lisburn.  “He was home … last week-end, but his leave was necessarily short owing to American war work on which he is at present engaged”.

McGROGAN, Private Robert.  Born in St. Patricks, Co. Antrim, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Belfast and served in CR (3939) before transferring to 8 RIrF (20969).  KIA in France on the 10.5.16, he is buried in Mazingarbe Communal Cemetery Extension, France, plot 1, row C, grave 2.

McGUINNESS, Private Patrick.  Born and enlisting in Lisburn, he served in B Company 2 RInF (17759).  KIA in France on the 16.5.15 aged 19, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France, panels 16-17.  He was the son of John and Mary Ann McGuinness of 34 Barnsley Row, Lisburn.

McGURK, Rifleman John.  Born in Blaris, he lived at 12 McKeown Street, Lisburn, and was a member of Millview Football Club.  He may have worked, possibly as a reeler, for Robert Stewart and Sons. He enlisted at Clandeboye and served in B Company 11 RIR (6857) embarking with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Wounded on the Somme on the 1.7.16 he DoW at Cambridge Hospital, Aldershot on the 24.7.16 aged 19 and was buried in Lambeg Parish Church Graveyard, grave 206 near the eastern end of the church, on Saturday 29^th.  He was the son of the late Andrew and Martha McGurk of McKeown Street, Lisburn and brother of Jane and Thomas McGurk.  Jane McGurk was married to James Abbott of 12 McKeown Street, Lisburn.  On the 26 July 1919 they inserted the following In Memoriam notice in the Herald.  “Now a sister’s heart is aching For a brother she loved so well; He gave his life for his country, In honour’s cause he fell”.  James Abbott was probably the brother of William Abbott (above) who like John McGurk had been killed on the opening day of the Somme.

McILFATRICK, Rifleman Daniel.  Born in Coleraine, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 6 RIR (10499).  In the Standard for the 24.9.15 his wife had been notified that he had been wounded at Gallipoli but was, “without information as to the extent of wounds or the name of the hospital where he is under treatment and would be glad to receive news from any of her husband’s comrades”.  KIA in Gallipoli on the 10.8.15 aged 27, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 177-8.  He was the son of William and Mary McIlfatrick of Ballinamallard, Co. Fermanagh and husband of Annie McIlfatrick of 44 Church Street, Lisburn.

McILWRATH, Rifleman Charles.  Born in and enlisting at Lisburn, he served in 2 RIR (10580) and was KIA on the Somme on the 15.7.16.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.

McILWRATH, Rifleman George Henry.  Born in Dromore, he lived in Lisburn where he enlisted and served in 13 RIR (18309).  Reported missing and subsequently, in June or July 1917, confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 25.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the son of Elizabeth and the late Robert James McIlwrath of Lower Plantation, Lisburn and Dromore.

McIVERS, Lance corporal Daniel.  Born in Stoneyford, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RIR (8945).  KIA in France on the 27.10.14, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France.

McKEAVENEY, Private Thomas.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in the 17th. Field Ambulance RAMC (156).  He DoW in Belgium on the 29.5.16 aged 29, and is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinghe, Belgium, plot 7, row A, grave 29.  The headstone inscription reads, “Rest in the Lord”.  He was the husband of Elizabeth McKeaveney of Dunbought, Clough, Co. Antrim and son of John and Alice McKeaveney of 175 Durham Street, Belfast.  When the cemetery was visited on the 7.8.96 a small wooden Remembrance Day cross with the inscription, “RIP. Great Nephew Thomas” had been placed in front of the headstone.

McKECHNIE Lance Corporal Robert.  Born and living in Dunmurry he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR (18314) embarking with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 21, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France, pier and face 15 A and B.  He was the eldest son of James and Janet McKechnie of Milfort Avenue, Dunmurry, Belfast.

McKEE, Rifleman James Johnston.  Born in Dromara, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 8 RIR (15425).  KIA on the Somme on the 2.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and 15 B.

McKEE, Rifleman Samuel.  Born in Blaris, he enlisted at Lisburn.  A trucker at the Island Mill, Lisburn, he was also a reservist in 5 RIR and was sent out from Victoria Barracks, Belfast with drafts from his battalion to serve with 2 RIR (5204) which had been “badly cut up by the Germans”.  He DoW in Belgium on the 21.2.15 aged 19 and is buried in Locre Churchyard, West Flanders, Belgium, plot 2, row A, grave 4.  The headstone inscription reads, “Until the day breaks”.  He was the son of Samuel and Ellen McKee of 33 Gregg Street, Lisburn.

McKEE, Rifleman Thomas John.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 8 RIR (13161).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 he is buried in Serre Road Cemetery No. 2, France, plot 8, row G, grave 4.

McKEOWN, Rifleman David Thomas.  Born in Dromore, Co. Down, he lived at Tullynishey.  A member of the Orange Order, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 14 RIR (6744).  KIA on the Somme on the 6.5.16 age 24, he is buried in Authuile Military Cemetery, France, row D, grave 54.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of George McKeown of Tudyniskey, Dromara, Co. Down.  A wreath left in front of the headstone in July 2002 read “In proud and loving memory of Bro [brother] D.T. McKeown from the officers and members of Waringsford Rising Star LOL 545 Co. Down.  July 2002”.

McKEOWN, Rifleman William.  Born in Belfast, he lived at 5 Auburn Street, Dunmurry, with his wife and family.  An old soldier with seven years service in 1 RIR, he was employed as a carter at William barbours and Sons.  On the outbreak of war, he re-enlisted at Lisburn, and served in 11 RIR (2997) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France, pier and face 15 A and B.

McKEOWN, Rifleman William.  Before the war he lived at Hillhall, Lisburn with his aunt and had worked at Glenmore Bleachworks.  A member of the UVF, he enlisted in Lisburn and embarked for France from Bordon with 11 RIR in October 1915.  Involved in the fighting on the Somme and in other mjor engagements, he had, until his death, came through it all unhurt.  Later transferred to 11/13 RIR (7279), he was reported wounded and missing while attached to the 22nd. Entrenching Battalion.  In late June or early July 1919 he was confirmed as having been KIA at St. Quentin on the 29 March 1918, he was about 23 years old.  His death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France, panels 74-6.  During his military service on the Western front, William McKeown had been home on leave twice.  He was the nephew of Charles and Phenia Finlay of Hillhall, Lisburn and brother of Rifleman Frank McKeown who lived at 21 Ballynahinch Road, Lisburn with his wife Jane.  Frank had served in the same battalion as Willaim but was badly wounded and permanently disabled at Messines and was invalided out of the army.  After the war he was employed by the “Lisburn News Room”.  On the 5 July 1919 they remembered William McKeown’s passing in the Lisburn Herald.

McKIBBEN, Rifleman Frederick.  Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 13 RIR (16762).  Reported missing and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 20, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the son of Thomas and Annie McKibben of 24 Sloan Street, Lisburn.

McKNIGHT, Lance Sergeant Ernest.  Born in Llandudno, Carnarvon, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Windermere, Westmorland and served in 11 BR (13435).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, he is buried in Lonsdale Cemetery, Authuile, France, plot 1, row A, grave 9.  The headstone inscription reads, “Until the day break”.  He was the son of Mr. McKnight of Rhos Cottage, Broughmore Maze, Lisburn.

McKNIGHT, Rifleman James.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RIR (13163).  KIA on the Somme on the 10.2.16, he is buried in Sucrerie Military Cemetery, Colincamps, France, plot 1, row A, grave 1.  There is no headstone inscription.

McLARNON, Rifleman George.  Born in Dunmurry, he lived there with his sister, Mrs Ballantine, at 10 Maryville Terrace.  A member of Dunmurry True Blues LOL 1046, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 11 RIR (7286) embarking with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Reported MIA and a year later confirmed KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 24, he is buried in the A.I.F. Burial Ground, Flers, Somme, France, plot 15, row P, grave 25.  The headstone inscription reads, “Tho’ lost to sight to memory ever dear”.  He was the son of John and Ellen McLarnon of Dunmurry, Belfast.  The A.I.F. Burial Ground is some way from area where 11 RIR were engaged on the 1.7.16.  He is probably buried there because of the concentration of graveyards or the late discovery of his body.  Notice that he was still officially missing a year after he was killed.

McLARNON, Lance corporal William Robert.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Glasgow and served in 1 SG (3355).  KIA on the Somme on the 25.9.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 7D.

McLEAVY, Private Charles Edwin.  Born in Co. Down on the 18.7.1882 he may have lived at Corcreeny, Hillsborough, Co. Down before emigrating to Canada.  A single man and farmer by profession, he lived at Cremona, Alberta before enlisting at Carstairs, Alberta on the 19.6.1916 aged 33 years and 11 months.  He had no previous military experience and was passed fit for overseas service the same day.  5’ 10” tall he had a 38” chest (fully expanded) with a 4” range of expansion, dark complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.  He DoW from gas in France on the 9.11.18 aged 36 while serving in 50 AR, CEF (883446) and was buried in Etaples Military Cemetery, France, plot 50, row A, grave 22.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of John W. and Lillian Mary McLeavy of Kilwarlin, Hillsborough, Co. Down.  At the time of his enlistment in 1916 he gave his mother as his nok and her address as 44 University Road, Belfast.

McLERNON, Private Robert.  Born in Lisburn where he lived on the Low Road, he enlisted at Glasgow and served in 2 RIrR (6968).  He died in Belgium on the 24.8.14 and is buried in St. Symphorien Military Cemetery, Belgium, plot 1, row A, grave 19.

McMANUS, Private Hugh M.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Belfast, enlisted at Oxford and served in 1IG (14).  KIA in France on the 18.5.15, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France, panel 4.

McMASTER, Lieutenant Philip George.  He lived at Tullyard House, Hillhall, Lisburn and before the war worked for the Board of Trade in Dublin.  Commissioned into one of the reserve battalions of the Ulster Division in March 1915, he served in the RIR and was transferred to 18 MGC in November 1916.  Reported wounded in May 1917, he was KIA on the Somme on the 20.6.18 age 27, he is buried in Ribemont Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme, France, plot 4, row L, grave 7.  The headstone inscription reads, “Asleep in Jesus blessed sleep from which none ever wake to weep”.  He was the son of John and Margaret McMaster of Tullyard House, Hillhall, Lisburn.  His death is also commemorated on the family headstone in Drumbo Presbyterian church graveyard.  John McMaster died on the 3.4.22 aged 78, Margaret McMaster on the 7.2.32 aged 79.  He may have had a brother Samuel McMaster, also of Tullyard House, who served in the Canadian Navy and survived the war.  He was also a nephew of Robert Diamond of Lisburn.

McMILLAN, Lance corporal John.  Born and living in Lisburn, before the war he worked as a clerk at Barbour’s Mill at Hilden.  A keen sportsman, he was a member of Lisburn Rugby Club, Roseville F.C. and South Antrim Hockey Club, he was also a Lieutenant in the 23^rd (Railway Street Presbyterian Church) Company of the Boys Brigade.  Enlisting at Belfast, possibly in 14 RIR (YCVs), he went to the Front with the Ulster Division in October 1915 and subsequently served in 2 RIR (16770).  Escaping injury until late in the War, he was KIA in France by a German shell on the 30.7.18.  He was the son of the late Joseph McMillan of Castle Street, Lisburn and brother of Miss I. McMillan.  Returning a letter which she had sent, CQMS Fox wrote to his sister, “It is not a very pleasant task I have set myself, to break the news to you of your brother’s death on the 30^th July, 1918, more especially after the recent sad loss you sustained through the death of your father, which I understand took place only a few weeks ago. … Your brother was extremely popular, and since he joined this battalion and being posted to B Company was my Company Clerk.  He and I have always been the best of friends … .  Your brother, with a number of others, was in company headquarters when a shell came and buried the lot.  Some of them were fortunate to escape with bruises etc., but I am sorry to say six succumbed out of the lot.  If it is any consolation to you to know, your brother was buried close to here, and a nice cross has been erected over him”.  Captain, the Rev. W.H. Hutchinson also wrote to Miss McMillan painting a similar picture of her brother and his fate.  “He was with some others in a front line shelter”, he said, “when an enemy shell penetrated, and death was mercifully sudden.  His body was brought back and interred in a little French cemetery here.  Allow me to tender my deepest sympathies. … Your brother was one of the best, a loyal comrade, an excellent soldier and a true man”. John McMillan is buried in Bertenacre Military Cemetery, Flertre, France, plot 1, row C, grave 9.  There is no headstone inscription.  Two others who died that day, Sergeant Robert James Gibson from Banbridge and Rifleman Stanley Collins from Kent are buried in plot 1 as well, Gibson in row C, grave 10 beside John McMillan, and Collins in row B, grave 9.  Two others, Riflemen David McIlroy and Samuel Clarke are commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial to the missing.

McMULLAN, Private Robert.  Born in Glenavy_, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 10 RInF (27192).  He DoW on the Somme on the 3.7.16 age 36, and is buried in Puchevillers British Cemetery, Somme, France, plot I, row A, grave 27.  He was the husband of Agnes McMullan of 31 Queensland Street, Belfast.

McMULLEN, Rifleman James.  Born in Blaris, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in D Company 11 RIR (3045) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the son of Edward and Eliza M’Mullen of 41 Hill Street, Lisburn.  They included the following verse with an In Memoriam notice published in the Herald on the 30.6.17.  “God takes our loved ones from our homes, But never from our hearts”.

McMULLEN, Rifleman Robert H.  Lived at Drumlough, Hillsborough, Co. Down and served in the RIR.  His death is commemorated on Hillsborough War Memorial.  No positive trace so far.

McNAIR, Rifleman Richard Isaac.  Born at Millbrook Road on the Low Road in Lisburn, he lived at number 38.  A member of the 1^st Lisburn battalion of the UVF, he enlisted in the town and served in 11 RIR (18167).  On the 28 March 1915 he was taken from Clandeboye, where he was training with his battalion, to Purdysburn Fever Hospital where he died the following day (the 29.3.15), aged 35.  It was about this time that there was an outbreak of cerebro-spinal meningitis amongst the 36 Division at Clandeboye, but it is not clear whether or not this was the cause of his death. Richard McNair was buried in Hillhall Presbyterian Church graveyard, grave 191 on Wednesday 31 March, his headstone inscription reads, “God is my salvation”.  The son of John and Ellen McNair, he was married to Mary McNair who by the end of the war was living at 70 Millbrook, Low Road, Lisburn.  Mary McNair was his second wife and he was also survived by a child from his first marriage.  According to the Standard, “his ambition [was] to get to the Front”, however, he died 7 months before 11 RIR left Bordon Camp for France in October 1915.

McNAIR, Rifleman John.  Born in Blaris, he lived at Lower Plantation, enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR (1279).  He embarked with them for France from Bordon in October 1915 and was KIA in Belgium on the 1.9.16 aged 19.  His death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Belgium, panel 40.  He was the son of John and Margaret McNair of Lower Plantation, Lisburn.  He had two married sisters, Nellie Hunter (husband John), Hillhall Road, Lisburn and Mary Killips? (husband William) both of who inserted death notices in the Standard on the 22^nd. September.

McNAMARA, Private Edward.  Born and living in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 6 CR (3627).  KIA in France on the 28.1.16, he is buried in Vermelles British Cemetery, France, plot 2, row M, grave 2.

McNAMARA, Joseph.  He is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial but there is no positive trace so far.

McNEICE, Rifleman Alexander.  Born in Glenavy. Co. Antrim, where he was a member of the Orange Order, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 10 RIR (448).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.  He was the son of James McNiece of Glenavy, Co. Antrim and husband of Clarance McNiece of 24 Haldane Street, Belfast.

McPHILLIPS Private Patrick.  Born in Ardee, Co. Louth, he volunteered for service in the summer of 1915, enlisted in Armagh and served in 6 RIrR (3538) part of the Irish Brigade.  He DoW in hospital in France 23.7.16 age 21 and is buried in Bethune Town Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, plot 5, row G, grave 24.  He was the son of Thomas and Ann McPhillips of Bridge Street, Hilden and 23 Dale Street, Drogheda, Co. Meath.  In a letter to his father, the chaplain of the Irish Division wrote that his son had been given extreme unction at once, and that  “On the day after arrival at hospital he became worse and I gave him viaticum and the last blessing.  He died like a good soldier that evening”.

 

McQUAID John.  His death is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial but there is no positive trace so far.

McQUILLAN, Sergeant William James.  Born in Ardmore, Co. Antrim, he lived in Crumlin, Co. Antrim.  A member of the Orange Order in Glenavy, he enlisted at Belfast and served in D Company 11 RIR (2208) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  He DoW at Thiepval Wood on the Somme on the 19.5.16 age 21 and is buried in Forceville Communal Cemetery and Extension, France, plot 1, row D, grave 14.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of Robert Harper and Annie McQuillan of Crumlin, Co. Antrim.

 

McREYNOLDS, Private Robert.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Glasgow in the 6 (City of Glasgow Territorial) Battalion HLI 1134.  He DoW in Gallipoli on the 14.8.15 aged 29 and is buried in Lancashire Landing Cemetery, Gallipoli, row A, grave 57.  He was the husband of Mary Murray, formerly McReynolds of 12 Parker Street, Whiteinch, Glasgow.

McSHANE, Able Seaman Thomas Charles.    Served in the Royal Navy (SS/4230) on HMS Vindictive.  KIA at Zeebrugge on the 23.4.18 aged 24, he is buried in Dover (St. James) Cemetery, Kent, plot P, row W, grave 7A.  He was the son of Hugh and Margaret McShane of Lambeg, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.  The cruiser Vindictive on which McShane served, played a leading role in the attack on Zebrugge on the night of 22/23 April 1918.  The raid was intended to block the mouth of the Bruges canal at Zeebrugge in an attempt to prevent German submarines and torpedo boats from using it.  Vindictive’s role was to come alongside the mole which sheltered the harbour and land marines who were to destroy the gun emplacements which would threaten the ships that would enter the harbour and block the canal.  At first the raid appeared to have been a success but it soon became apparent that the ships which had been sunk in the entrance to the canal did little more than cause the Germans some inconvenience.

McVEIGH, Sergeant Henry.  Born in Derriaghy, he lived at Ballysheagh, Co. Leitrim, enlisted at Belfast and served in 8 RInF (18277).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 aged 25, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 70-2.  He was the husband of the late Fanny McVeigh, and son of James McVeigh of Derriaghy, Dunmurry.

McWILLIAMS, Private Henry.  Born in and enlisted at Lisburn, he served in the RIR (11793) and then 5 RIrF (12922).  He died at home on the 26.9.18 aged 22 and is buried in Lisburn Cemetery, new section, row E, grave 208.  There is no headstone inscription.

McWILLIAMS, Rifleman John.  Born in and enlisted at Lisburn, probably in 11 RIR, he embarked with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Wounded on the Somme on the 1.7.16, he transferred to 12 RIR (18391) when 11 RIR were disbanded.  KIA in Belgium on the 13.9.18, his death is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium.

MEARNS, Rifleman/Private J.  His death is commemorated on Lisburn War memorial but there is no positive trace so far.

MEGARRY, Sergeant James.  Born in Crumlin and living at Aldergrove, he was a member of the Orange Order in Glenavy belonging to Ballynadrenta LOL 1059.  He enlisted at Antrim and served in 11 RIR (19694) with whom he may have embarked for France from Bordon Camp as a rifleman in October 1915.  KIA in Belgium on the 8.8.17 age 24, his death is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Ypres, Belgium panel 40.  He was the son of William Henry Megarry of Largy, Crumlin.

 

MEGARRY, Sergeant Robert George.  Born in Moira, he lived at the Maze/Lisburn.  A member of Broomhedge LOL 206 and the South Belfast Battalion of the UVF, he was employed as an electrician by the Northern Railway Company. enlisted at Lisburn and served in 10 RIR (15582).  Reported wounded and missing he was subsequently confirmed, in late July or early August 1917, as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1 july 1916 aged 24.  Writing to his mother, Second Lieutenant Henderson described him as, “a splendid man.  He always performed his duties bravely and well, and, in my opinion, was the best sergeant in the battalion”.  He is buried in Serre Road, Cemetery No. 2, plot 12, row L, grave 6.  The inscription on his headstone reads, “Thy will be done”.  He was the son of George and Mary Ann Megarry of Lurganure, Maze, Lisburn and was remembered by them in the Lisburn Herald on the 11 August 1917, 5 July 1919 and 1 July 1922.  They also lost another son Samuel who died at home on the 4.12.18 and was buried in Soldierstown Churchyard.  Another brother Thomas Megarry served in the RE.  He appears to have survived the war.  His sister and brother-in-law Lizzie and John E. Brown of Lisnoe Lisburn included the following poem with the death notice they inserted in the Herald on the 11 August 1917.  “A loving brother, true and kind, Missed by those he left behind, Forget him? No, we never will, As years roll on we’ll love him still”.

MEHARRY, Rifleman Samuel.  Born in Shankill Belfast, he enlisted at Belfast and served in B Company 9 RIR (17/823).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 20, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.  He was the son of the late William (who died on the 26.1.17 aged 43) and Isabella Meharry of 49 Donegall Pass, Belfast.  His death is also commemorated on the family headstone in Killaney Presebyterian churchyard between Temple and Boardmills.  It was erected by Isabella Meharry in memory of her husband, son Samuel and four other children who died in infancy.

 

MERCER, Rifleman Thomas.  Born and living in Culcavey, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 13 RIR (16841).  KIA on the Somme on the 28.6.16 aged 34, he is buried in Martinsart British Cemetery, France, plot 1, row A, grave 1.  He and 13 colleagues in his company were killed (10 immediately and 4 later of wounds) by a German shell which landed amongst them as they paraded in Martinsart village square to go on duty.  They were all buried in Martinsart British Cemetery plot 1, row A.  The headstone inscription reads, “He did his duty well”.  He was the husband of Margaret Mercer of Culcavey, Hillsborough, Co. Down.  Writing to Mrs. Mercer, the Presbyterian Chaplain W.J. McConnell expressed his sympathy for the loss of her husband, who “was killed during the recent attack, [that he had] fought a good fight and … let us thank God for what they accomplished, for it was indeed great.”  Thomas Mercer had not in fact been involved in the attack, having died three days before it took place.  As to what had been achieved, the reality was that the front line in the Thiepval sector had changed little by the time the 36 Division were withdrawn.  All CWGC entries for these men give grave 1, presumably it is a communal grave.  Of the 14, 7 are on this list, CSM Beaston and Riflemen A.V. Crangle, R. Crawley, S. Hamilton, G. Heenan, T. Mercer and J.G. Thompson.

MILLAR, Sergeant George.  Born in Portadown, before the war he was employed at Queen’s Island, (the ship yard), enlisted at Belfast and served originally in the RIrF (12069).  Transferred to the 8 DCLI (35603), he was KIA in the Balkans on the 4.9.17 aged 31.  Buried in the Doiran Military Cemetery, Greece, plot 6, row D, grave 35, he was the son of Mr. William Miller and  Mrs. A. Millar of 7 Innes Place, Belfast.  His wife lived at Lambeg.

MILLAR, Private Samuel.  Lived at Hilden, enlisted at Lisburn and served in 1 RIrF (13044).  KIA in Belgium on the 29.7.16, he is buried in Essex Farm Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium, plot 3, row A, grave 2.  There is no headstone inscription.  Essex Farm Cemetery is where John McCrea was serving when he wrote “In Flanders Fields”.

MILLAR, Corporal Walter.  Commemorated on the memorial in Drumbo (Holy Trinity) Parish Church, there is no positive trace so far.

MILLAR, Rifleman William.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Dunmurry, enlisted at Lisburn and served in 2 RIR (5549).  KIA in France on the 12.5.16 aged 36, he is buried in the Le Treport Military Cemetery, France, plot 2, row K, grave 2.  He was the son of Alexander and Maria Millar of Hurst Street, Belfast.

MITCHEL, Captain Frederick David.  Educated at Portora Royal School in Enniskillen he was an accountant at the Ulster Bank in Lurgan.  Well known in football circles in Belfast and Lurgan, he also played for two or three seasons with Lisnagarvey Hockey Club before the war.  He joined 10 RInF in 1915 and on obtaining a commission was transferred to 10 RIrF at Newtownards.  He went to the front in June 1917 and was promoted to Captain in October.  He DoW on the 24.11.17 aged 28 was buried in Grevillers British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, plot 8, row E, grave 4.  The second son of the Rev. S.C. Mitchell and Mrs. I. Mitchel of Enniskillen, his sister and brother-in-law William Larmour, lived at Elmwood, Belsize Road, Lisburn.  His brother Lieutenant Richard Mitchel served in the RIrF and another in the Canadian Home Defence Force.  The village of Grevillers about 3 kilometres west of Bapaume was occupied by Commonwealth troops on 14 March 1917.  The cemetery there where Frederick Mitchel is buried, was begun in April and May by the Australian Casualty Clearing Stations which were stationed nearby.

MITCHELL, Walter Dawson. Civilian.  Walter Mitchell was the youngest son of the Rev. George Patton Mitchell Rector of Drumbo Parish between 1890 and 1922 and Elizabeth (Bessie) Dawson. He was educated at RBAI and The Municipal Technical Institute in Belfast.  Unlike his father, and older brother, he choose a career in the linen industry rather than the church, though the family joke was that they were all men of the cloth.  At the Technical Institute he won a Drapers Company Exhibition an award which, in the view of one of his tutors, “is only obtainable by those who apply themselves with great earnestness to the practice and theory of their special subject”.  He served his apprenticeship at the Island Spinning Company, Lisburn and in December 1912 was offered a “highly responsible” position in the firm of Messrs Marshall and Co., New Jersey.

Before his departure though he proposed to Jeanette Elizabeth Moore (Nettie) eldest daughter of William Moore a dairy farmer of Newgrove, Ballylesson, whom he had known since childhood.  She accepted and agreed to go with him to America.  The wedding had to be hastily arranged and as there was no time for a wedding dress to be made, one had to be purchased from Robinson and Cleaver’s, Belfast’s first department store.  They left for America immediately after the wedding, travelling up to Derry in their wedding clothes.  It was just before Christmas 1912.  Their ship called at Queenstown (now Cobh) on the way to New York and some of Walter’s Dublin relations travelled there to see them off.

The Mitchells seem to have settled in well to their new home in Newark, New Jersey.  Walter, a keen photographer took many pictures and sent them home to his family and in August 1914 their son, also called Walter Dawson, was born.  But that summer was not an entirely happy time for the family.  Bessie Dawson, Walter’s mother, had died on the 14 July aged 56 from an infection resulting from a thorn prick she had received while gardening and on the declaration of war in August, Nettie’s brothers Bobby and Archie (see below) had been amongst the first recruits to enlist.

By the spring of 1915 the Island Spinning Company needed Walter back in Lisburn.  Walter and Nettie’s happy sojourn in America had come to an end and they treated themselves to a voyage home on the Lusitania.  Nettie’s brother John Moore, who by this time had settled in Connecticut, decided to join them for a trip home.

Walter Mitchell died “of drowning and exposure” on the 7.5.15 when the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk off the south coast of Ireland.  According to an interview given by John Moore to the Lisburn Standard, they had just finished lunch and Mrs. Mitchell had gone to the cabin to look after the baby when the ship was torpedoed.   “In a moment the passengers were rushing on deck to ascertain what had happened.  When he got there the vessel had listed, lifeboats were being swung out from the lower side, and lifebelts handed around.  He did not get a life preserver but managed to get into a boat, which on reaching the water, overturned.  Luckily he got hold of a rope which was hanging over the ship’s side and held on for a little time, during which the passengers were jumping down in crowds, many of them striking him as they passed and bruising his body.  Subsequently he found himself struggling in the water, and just managed to clutch the keel of one of the upturned boats, with which he supported himself until he was rescued by what he thought was a mine sweeper.  He could not describe the awfulness of the scene.  He had lost sight of his sister and her husband and was despairing of seeing them again, when he observed them being taken out of the sea and brought aboard the trawler.  Mrs. Mitchell was in a semi-conscious state and her husband was unconscious.  Mrs. Mitchell recovered under the treatment she received, but though everything possible was done to restore Mr. Mitchell it was without success.  As for the baby, he did not see it after he left the liner.  As to the subsequent search for some trace of the baby and the heart-rending scenes he witnessed Mr. Moore could not trust himself to speak.”

According to Nettie, as the Lusitania sank, she and Walter had found themselves in the water clinging onto a lifeboat with Walter supporting their infant son.  However, in the absence of any help the young child soon died of cold.  His mother knew that he was dead, “because his skin went a dark bruised colour and he had froth at his mouth”.  Then as his father too lost consciousness, the child’s body slipped into the water was never recovered.

Nettie herself was fortunate to survive.  When fishermen on a trawler pulled her and Walter out of the water, neither showed any sign of life.  “Nettie, however, was still just alive and remembered the sensation of being dragged by her feet with her head bumping along the deck.  She and Walter were left with the dead”.  According to family tradition, her brother John eventually found her at Queenstown “among the corpses laid out on the harbour steps” and seeing her eyelid move, realised that she was still alive and resuscitated her.

Walter Mitchell’s body was brought home by train by his widow and brother-in–law late on Sunday night the 9 May.  They were met at Lisburn station by the Rev. Mitchell, Mr. Moore senior and Miss Pounden, Mrs. Mitchell’s favourite aunt and it was to her that she, “poured out the great agony of her wounded heart.”  He was buried beside his mother on Tuesday 11 May 1915 in the family burial plot at Ballylesson Parish Church, “among many manifestations of profound sorrow.  The cortege was a large and imposing one, people coming from far and wide.”

The death of his wife, which George Mitchell “had taken very badly”, and then the loss of his son and grandson, left the Rev. Mitchell a “broken man.”  He died on Boxing Day 1922 and is buried along with Bessie and Walter at Ballylesson.  The death of Walter senior, though not his infant son, is recorded on the family headstone to the right of the main drive leading to the church.

Walter Mitchell’s wife, Nettie Moore, was born 10 July 1886 and after attending school in Lisburn, had helped her mother run the house and dairy at Newgrove, the family home.  It was a Georgian building, single storied at the front with the farmyard and outbuildings tucked in behind and was built on a rath above the Lagan.  It lay just across the road from Ballylesson (Drumbo Parish) Rectory her future husband’s home.

Nettie would have been 26 at the time of her marriage and still not 29 at the time of her husband’s and son’s deaths in 1915.  Following her return to Ballylesson in May 1915, “she could not sleep and really thought that she could loose her mind”.  Eventually though she decided to train as a midwife and went to the Rotunda Maternity Hospital in Dublin.  She was working there during the Easter Rising when the centre of the city was in flames.  “Ypres on the Liffey” she called it.  When she had completed her training she returned home to Ballylesson and volunteered for the Red Cross in Belfast.  After the war she married William Waters a cattle dealer originally from Co. Tyrone, and settled down with him on his farm on the Ravenhill Road in Belfast.  On the 10 July 1925, Nettie’s 39^th birthday, their first son Brian was born, followed two years later by a second boy Allen.

 

MITCHELL Walter Dawson Jnr. Civilian.  Born in America in August 1914, he died on the Lusitania on the 7.5.15 aged nine months.  The son of Walter Mitchell (see above) and Mrs. Mitchell nee Moore the daughter of William Moore of Newgrove, Ballylesson.  His body, number 122, was recovered and he is buried in Common Grave C at Old Church Cemetery two miles outside Queenstown (Cobh).

 

MOCKLER, Lance Corporal Edward Cecil William.   Born in Ballinderry on the 24.6.1893 he was educated at the local school.  At the aged of 13 he won an Incorporated Society’s exhibition which entitled him to three years free education at Dundalk Institution.  A second exhibition gave him two more years and residence at Mountjoy School in Dublin.  On completing his education he emigrated to Canada, against the advice of his principal who wanted him to go to Trinity.  Having secured a post with the Canadian Bank of Commerce he sailed for Montreal in July 1912 and lived in Humboldt, Saskatchewan for two years before joining up at Valcartier Camp, Quebec on the 22.9.14 aged 21 years and 3 months.  A single man, he had no previous military experience, was 5’ 8½” inches tall, of a dark complexion with blue eyes and dark hair, he had a scar on the left side of his head.  After training at Valcartier he served in 1 CI WOR (I8822) being posted first to Salisbury and then to the Western Front in late march or early April 1915.  He died in the military hospital in Cambridge on the 7.5.15 age 21 from wounds received at Langemarck near Ypres on the 22 or 23 April.  Because of his knowledge of French, he had been asked by Major Kimmins to accompany him to the French lines.  On their way there Kimmins was killed and Mockler hit in the back by shrapnel which punctured his lung.  Although he took cover, he was hit several more times as well as being exposed to the gas which the Germans had released on the French.  It took him six hours to crawl back to his own lines from where he was taken back to base, eventually arriving in hospital in Cambridge late on the 1 May.  His father was able to visit him in hospital before his death and had his remains brought home on Sunday the 9^th for burial on Tuesday 11^th.  The son of Edward Mockler of Fruithill, Rose Lane Ends, Ballinderry, Co. Antrim who sat on the Lisburn Board of Guardians, he is buried in the family plot in Ballinderry Middle Church Cemetery, Ballinderry.  According to a report of the funeral in the Standard, “There was a large number present and it was evident from the tear-brimmed eyes seen on all sides that the deceased was held in very high esteem in the neighbourhood in which he was born and reared.  Numerous wreaths were sent by relatives and friends.”  There is no headstone inscription.  A separate headstone records the death of Alice Maud Mockler on the 28.4.1895 and Thomas McCleavy Mockler on the 26.10.1922.  A Miss Mockler of Ballinderry is also recorded in the Belfast News Letter of 4.7.16 as a contributor to comforts sent out to soldiers in 11 RIR in the first half of 1916.

The events in which Mockler was involved were described by John McClelland a Dunmurry man who was also serving in the CEF.  In a letter home to a friend in the village he wrote, “I expect you have heard all about our heavy casualty list.  We got it good and hard while it lasted, but I might tell you we gave quite as much as we got until the Germans started shelling with the poison gas fumes.  I could fill quite a few sheets of writing paper with what I came through from April 22^nd up until the morning of the 24^th when I got hit and half poisoned as well.  We made two charges with fixed bayonets.  I came through the two charges without a scratch, but three hours later I was giving a wounded comrade a drink and I got it good with a large chunk of shrapnel in the shoulder fracturing some of the bones; but the gas is worse than their biggest shells.  The Germans did their best to break through our lines, but all efforts failed.  They even drove the French Algerians out of their position, and that’s where we lost so many in recapturing the lost ground.  We lost very heavily but we saved the situation.  To tell you proper, if they had got through and crossed safely over the Yser canal there would have been nothing to prevent them being in Calais”.

It is not clear whether John McClelland survived the war or not.  There are a number of casualties with that name in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission register but it is impossible to say whether he is one of them.  As for Major A. E. Kimmins, the CWGC records that he died on the 24 April 1915.  He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial.

MOFFETT,  Private William.  Born in Magheragall, he lived at Kilsyth, Stirlingshire, enlisted at Glasgow and served in 13 RS (41144).  He DoW in France on the 10.4.17 age 20 and is buried in Etaples Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, plot 22, row F, grave 23.  He was the son of William Moffett of Magheragall, Lisburn.  His wife and child lived at 101 Main Street, Kilsyth as did his brother-in-law and sister John and Lizzie Hoey.  They inserted two poems in the Herald on the 5 May 1917.  The first “Inserted by his sorrowing Wife and Child” read, “He is gone from me, Oh! How I miss him, Loving him dearly his memory I’ll keep, Ever to life’s end never shall I forget him, Dear to my heart is the place where he sleeps.  When days are dark and friends are few, Dear daddie how we mourn for you”. The second included by his brother-in-law and sister read, “A hero’s grave he shares with those, Who with him there did die, Abreast they fought, abreast they fell, And now abreast they lie.  Sleep on, dear Willie, we would not wake thee”.

MONTGOMERY, Private Samuel.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RIrF (2482).  KIA in Belgium on the 2.9.18, he is buried in Lindenhoek Chalet Military Cemetery, Kemel, Belgium, plot 2, row F, grave 7.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the husband of R. Montgomery of 38 Crosby Street, Belfast.

MONTGOMERY, Rifleman William James.  Born in Lisburn, he lived at Carryduff, Co. Down, enlisted at Belfast and served in 13 RIR (19144).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 22, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  He was the son of James and Ellen Jane Montgomery of Tullywest, Saintfield, Co. Down.

MOORE, Rifleman Alexander.  Born in Lisburn where he lived, he enlisted in the town in 11 RIR and embarked with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  He served with the Ulster Division at the Somme, in Flanders and at Cambrai, and was subsequently transferred to 11/13 RIR (18495).  Reported missing and subsequently wounded and a PoW, he died of wounds received at St. Quentin, at Dusseldorf in Germany on the 26.5.18 aged 23.  Buried in Cologne Southern Cemetery, Germany, plot 11 row B, grave 6, he was the only son of Alexander and Margaret Moore of 72 Bridge Street, Lisburn.  His brother-in-law was also on active service.

MOORE, 2nd. Lieutenant Archibald.  Before the war he had been employed by the firms of Hugh Mack and Co. Ltd. and later by Grainger and Smith Ltd.  He was also a fine athlete, a member of Ulsterville Harriers and winner of the Marathon Championship of Ireland.  A member of Drumbo UVF, he enlisted in the NIH in August 1914 and after a year and nine months service in France was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.  Recommended for a commission he was sent to the Cadet School at Fermoy and in June 1917 was gazetted Second Lieutenant in the RIR.  Returning to the front on the 27 August that year, he served in 13 RIR and, at the time of his death, was attached to the 22^nd Entrenching Battalion.  Reported wounded, missing and believed killed, he was eventually confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 26.3.18.  Writing to his mother afterwards, the chaplain attached to the Field Ambulance wrote, “”I was very sorry to hear that your son … had been killed in the recent fighting.  His friends who were with him when he fell are unanimous in saying that he behaved throughout the battle with the utmost gallantry.  At the critical stage in the day he went into a counter-attack at the head of his men, inspiring them by his cheery words and intrepid demeanour until he fell himself in the forefront of the battle.  We shall miss him greatly …”.  His death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France, panels 74-76 and on the family headstone in Drumbo Parish church graveyard.  He was the son of William H. Moore of Newgrove, Ballylesson who had died on the 3.6.16 and Mary Moore Hillmount, Antrim Road, Lisburn who died on the 3.3.26.  Their headstone inscription reads, “They are not dead but live for evermore”.  His sister Jeanette Elizabeth (Nettie) Mitchell, her husband Walter Dawson Mitchell and their nine month old son, Walter Dawson Jnr., were onboard the Lusitania when it was torpedoed off the South coast of Ireland on the 7 May 1915.  She was the only one of the three to survive.  (See the entries for Mitchell, above).

MOORE, Sergeant Archibald (Archie).  Born in Blarie Co. Down, he lived at 2 Market Street, Lisburn.  He enlisted at Belfast and was wounded on the night of the 15 May 1915 while serving in D Company 2 RinF.  Originally hit in the hip he was partially protected from further injury by the body of a dead comrade that had fallen over him.  Nevertheless, he was wounded three more times in the legs and back by shrapnel before being able to crawl back to his own lines from where he was transferred to St. George’s Hospital, Hyde Park, London.  He recovered from his wounds but was subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 while serving in 1 RInF (9493).  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 4 D and 5 B.

MOORE, Private R.  Born and living in Belfast, he enlisted at Antrim and served in NIH (2206).  He died in Belfast on the 6.5.17 age 23 and is buried in Annahilt Presbyterian churchyard in the family burial ground of James Moore.  He was the son of the late James and Sarah Moore.  There are three other headstones in the plot but none of those named appear to be his parents.

MOORE, Rifleman Robert.  Born in Lisburn, he lived at Portadown, enlisted at Lisburn, and served in 11 RIR (18488) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Reported wounded and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France pier 15, face B.

MOORE, Rifleman Thomas.   Born in and enlisted at Belfast he may have lived in Hillsborough and served in 15 RIR 12084.  KIA in France on the 31.1.16 he is buried in Sucrerie Military Cemetery, Colincamps, France, plot 1, row A, grave 4 next to Riflemen James Crozier 9 RIR who was executed by firing squad on the 27.2.16.  There is no headstone inscription.

MORGAN, Private William.  Born and living in Lisburn in Longstone Street, before the war he was employed in Marsh’s Biscuit Factory in Belfast.  A member of the UVF (Tyrone Volunteers) he enlisted in Belfast and served in 9 RInF (11904).  KIA in Belgium on the 10.8.17 aged 20, he is buried in New Irish Farm Cemetery, St. Jean-Les-Ypres, Belgium, plot 15, row E, grave 4.  The headstone inscription reads, “God has saved from weary strife in its dawn this fresh young life”.  He was the son of the late James and Eliza Ann Morgan of 43 (or 34) Longstone Street, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.  At the time of her son’s death Eliza Morgan was married to Thomas Cathcart who was himself on active service.  She included the following poem with her son’s death notice in the Herald on the 8.9.17.  “Life’s work well done, Life’s race well run, Life’s crown well won, Now comes rest.  When last we saw him smiling, He looked so strong and brave; We little thought how soon he’d be, Laid in a hero’s grave”.  In a letter to Mrs. Cathcart, Major Muriel wrote, “Your son was a good soldier and died doing his duty.  We have lost a good comrade”.  Captain John Redmond, the Chaplain wrote, “Your son’s Company Officer spoke to me in the highest terms  of him.  He was a good soldier and showed great courage in the face of great personal peril.  In the discharge of his duty he was faithful, even unto death; and what greater of nobler thing could be said of any man.  He gave his life for a great and righteous cause that is worthy of the sacrifice, and you have great reason to be proud of his memory.  Still, as his mother, his loss will be very sad news to you.  Will you please accept my heartfelt sympathy with you in your great sorrow, and I earnestly pray that God may give you His own comfort and sustain you in this time of great trouble”.

 

MORRISON, Lieutenant Douglas St. George.  Mons Medal with Star.  Pres.  Born at Boyle in Roscommon on the 10 August 1890 he was the son of Robert Douglas Morrison, a District Inspector in the R.I.C and Harietta Maria Langrish Morrison nee St. George of “Dunsona” 28 Derryvolgie Avenue, Belfast.  Educated at the Royal School, Armagh and from October 1910 at Trinity College, Dublin he graduated with a B.A. (Pass, 3^rd Class) in June 1913.  A member of the 1^st XI Cricket and 2^nd XI Hockey teams at Trinity he registered as a candidate for a commission in the regular army in October 1911 and was a member of the University OTC from that time.

Gazetted as a Second Lieutenant in the Territorial Force (Unattached List) from the 1 August 1912 he was attached to the 110^th Battery Royal Field Artillery, a regular unit, for six weeks between then and the 11 September 1912.  He sat his exams “in military subjects” in which, “he took a high place” in March and October 1913 and his application for a Commission in the RFA – his preferred branch of the service, supported by Anthony Traill, Provost of TCD, was submitted that December.

Aged 23, he was 5’ 7” tall, had a 35½” chest with a 3” range of expansion and weighed 158 lbs.  His hearing and teeth were both good and his colour vision was normal however, while the vision in his right eye was normal that of his left was slightly impaired and he wore glasses.  Despite this on the 17 January the following year he was considered “ready for appointment to a commission in the Royal Artillery [and was] entitled to be placed above the candidates who passed out of the R.M.A in July 1912”.

By 1913 the family was living at 43 Castle Street in Lisburn where Robert Morrison was a County Inspector in the police and where his son was a member of Lisburn Cricket Club and probably Lisnagarvey Hockey Club.  Later he would be remembered as a young man who excelled at sport, especially football and cricket.  “For two years he bowled for the first Varsity eleven and afterwards for the Shorncliffe Brigade when he was quartered there prior to the outbreak of the war”.

Following the start of war Douglas Morrison left for the front with the BEF on the 26 August 1914 and “took part in most of the great battles of the war” up to the late Spring of 1917” first with the 127^th and afterwards with the 130^th Battery, 40^th Brigade R.F.A. which he joined on the 15 May 1916.  It is not known what type of work he was involved in but some of it appears to have been with mortars.  If that was the case he is likely to have been serving very close to and in the front line and for fifteen months that front line was in the Ypres salient.

Given leave from the 11 to the 20 October, he spent the Christmas of 1916 in hospital at 7 Field Ambulance suffering from “gastritis”.  Discharged on the 28 December he returned to his unit at the start of the new year.  However, two and a half years on the Western Front had taken its toll and “seeing that he was beginning to feel the long continued strain, [his CO] Major Robinson got him transferred”.  On the 20 May 1917 he was posted to “R” Anti-Aircraft Battery.

“At first”, according to his father, “he was very happy.”  Granted leave, he was able to go home for a short time between the 11 and the 21 June and on his return to France, “took his “Stars” back with him … fully expecting promotion”.  However, things did not work out that way.  On the 21^st August he wrote to his father describing how, “For the last few weeks I have been troubled sorely on various questions regarding Officers in general and this section in particular – the former thought they had grievances so I assisted them before the Major – in other words became a nuisance regarding the section and was rather firm on certain matters.  Now … I have been charged by the Major as being absolutely unfit for the command of a section …”

A few days later on the 27^th he was shown a report on his conduct written by Lieutenant Colonel Lewis the Officer Commanding the Third Army Anti-Aircraft Artillery Group, and sent to the G.O.C. Third Army Artillery, Major General Leckey.  In it Lewis had concluded, “this officer has no idea of the meaning of discipline, and I consider that it is not in the interests of the Service that an officer holding such views should be allowed to remain in a responsible position”.

Lewis’s report had been prompted by two others written by Morrison’s own C.O., Major Leefe on the 17 and 21 August, and by an interview that Lewis himself had subsequently had with him.  While Morrison had suggested in his letter to his father that the rift had been precipitated by his attempt to speak to Leefe on behalf of the junior officers in the Battery who had “grievances”, Leefe’s reports displayed a somewhat different view of things.  “The cause of his [my emphasis] grievances,” Leefe said, “was the change of sergeants in his section” but the report, “was not submitted on the spur of the moment but was the result of matters being brought to a head by his conduct over a period of several weeks and after my patience had been utterly exhausted”.

There were a number of charges against Douglas Morrison.  Firstly, he had been ordered to construct an ammunition dump but had it was claimed been very slow in completing the work and had to be continually supervised.  In addition some of the work had not been carried out – in particular wooden battens had not been placed under some of the ammunition boxes as instructed, and as a result they became damp.

The next complaint was that he took very little interest in his Section and was the worst shot in the battery.  In addition, he frequently failed to acknowledge orders for which receipts were required which caused unnecessary work at H.Q. and, on top of that, drill was not being carried out properly even though he had been given written orders on how it should be done.  Finally, when his sergeants – “his Nos 1” – were replaced “in the hope of assisting [him] to improve the Section, which was quite the worst in the battery, he became almost insubordinate and had to be spoken to severely”.

To Douglas Morrison these charges were “small” and “ridiculous to anyone in the least broad-minded” and at some point he sat down and wrote a detailed rebuttal.  In connection with the ammunition dump which he was said to have been slow to complete and had done so unsatisfactorily, “work was interrupted because sandbags were not immediately available” and the absence of battens from under some of the boxes was due to the fact that the ammunition had been, “dumped there during my absence, neither had I been warned of its arrival”.

Regarding the poor performance of his section, rather than being poor because of his shortcomings as the charges implied, he had been appointed to it by Major Gudgeon because, “it was without doubt the worst section in the battery and needed total reorganisation and a new life and spirit infused into it”.  He had taken, “the keenest interest in the section” and “worked energetically with the Nos 1 under my command and noticed a considerable change for the better”.

As for the faults in gun drill, “… these changes in drill I have repeatedly shown to the Nos 1 and were correctly performed during Major Leefes last inspection.  …  However, on the Colonel’s visit to my section on July 26^th he gave me the impression that he attached very little importance to the [them] and for that reason I subsequently paid very little attention to it”.  As far as the complaint that he “frequently failed to acknowledge orders” was concerned, his version was that all bar one had been acknowledged by him and that Captain Oldham had, “never asked me for an acknowledgement”.

At this distance in time it is impossible to know with any certainty who was right and who was wrong.  There may have been some grounds for criticism of Douglas Morrison’s work and his comment that the charges were “ridiculous to anyone in the least broad-minded” suggests that he may not always have done things by the book.  Certainly if the charges were not that serious and if their validity was open to dispute something else must have been going on.  Personalities and perceptions seem to have come to play an increasingly important role.

While Leefe would later deny that there was any personal motivation in his actions, we can see from his version of events that he was becoming increasingly irritated by his subordinate.  On one occasion while visiting Morrison’s Section he, “… asked … if all his men had ‘housewives’ ”.  (This was not an enquiry into their marital status but related to a technical matter about range finding).  “Lt. Morrison said that ‘he could not be bothered with such things and did not know’ ”.   On another occasion, “Lt. Morrison saw me and asked if I would go to a meeting of Subalterns, ‘as there was great discontent among them’.  I told him that I was running the Battery and that he was not and refused to do what he asked.  I then asked him the cause of this ‘great discontent’.  He replied that it was caused by the move of the Nos. 1 … .  I explained that this was done to help him and to improve his Section.  He then said ‘I hear you took Capt. Oldham’s opinion as to this change and I consider that I am just as entitled to be consulted as he is’.  I told him that I did not think so.  He then said ‘he could not run his Section under these conditions’.  I told him that in that case I would get some other Officer who could”.

Douglas Morrison seems to have been oblivious to how his manner was antagonising his CO.  Even in his own version of the conversation about the ‘grievances’ he talked of how he had “interviewed the Major” and asked him to call a meting of Section Commanders.  When Leefe then asked Oldham who was present, what he would do, Morrison interjected, “I am referring the matter to you, Sir.”  The Major, who presumably took a dim view of being “interviewed” by one of his subordinates replied, “This is not the Russian Army” and refused to call the meeting.  And yet despite this Douglas Morrison believed that, “In no way did Major Leefe reprimand me or even speak to me severely or in a cross tone.  The whole conversation was carried on without any heat on either side”.  The most that he recognised was that he had “became a nuisance … and was rather firm on certain matters”.

Shortly after when he was interviewed by Lt. Col Lewis commander of Third Army’s anti-aircraft units, there was more of the same.  “His methods of explaining his conduct have convinced me,” Lewis reported to Major General Leckey G.O.C. Third Army artillery, “that he is unfit to hold a position of responsibility and command.  He cross-examines every point, and expresses opinions that have shown me that he could not be depended on to loyally carry our orders issued by his Commanding Officer, unless such orders corresponded with his private views and wishes”.  In short, “[he] has no idea of the meaning of discipline”.  Douglas Morrison it seems had the ability to rub people up the wrong way.

Part of it may have been the nature of the man, there is sometimes a hint of arrogance about him. While home on leave in June 1917 he was heard to remark about a group of children he had passed, ”It is for those and for others like them that we are fighting.  I wonder will they be worthy of the sacrifice.”  But there was more to it than that.  There was a growing feeling of resentment and frustration particularly with Captain Oldham.

Douglas Morrison was five years older than his nemesis and a regular soldier who had served on the Western Front since the start of the war.  Until his transfer to the anti-aircraft battery at the end of May 1917 he had been with units that were actively engaged in or close to the front line.  Oldham who was a farmer in civilian life, had come to France in May 1915, held a “Temporary” commission and had served in a relatively ‘safe’ position back from the front lines.  Yet he was acting Captain and Second in Command at “R” Battery while Morrison was still only a Lieutenant.  At a time when status and seniority counted for much, this had the potential to be a major cause of resentment particularly when it was linked to the issue of competence, the accusations being made against him and who was responsible for making them.

Morrison considered Oldham to be the moving spirit in the affair.  This may well have been because Oldham had supported Leefe’s critical report but in addition, he felt that the charges against him were petty and unjustified and that they had been fostered by someone he considered to be “a most subtle young person” who was manipulating his superiors – “… neither the Col[onel] nor Major can do anything without Oldham”, he observed.  “He evidently knew”, his mother wrote, that, “he had an enemy in the Camp”.  “R” Battery, at least in Douglas Morrison’s opinion had got its own private Machiavelli.

One peculiar thing about the whole episode is the speed with which it developed into a crisis.  Morrison had only joined “R” Battery on the 26 May 1917, (Oldham on the 4 February).  Leefe’s decision to change the section sergeants (which prompted Morrison to ask for a meeting with the officers) was made on the 31 July and Leefe’s report on Morrison requesting his removal was sent to Colonel Lewis on the 17 August.  More than that, although we cannot say for sure, Leefe himself may not have been with the Battery very long.  In his “explanation” Douglas Morrison mentions that “Major Gudgeon posted me on July 3^rd to take charge of No. 9 Section”.  There is no other mention of Gudgeon in the documents and if he was the CO at the time then the implication is that Leefe did not take command and may not even have been with the battery until some time after that.  This opens up the possibility that, as a ‘newcomer’ who was relatively unfamiliar with the unit, Leefe was reliant, maybe over-reliant on Oldham.  Perhaps Morrison had a point about that “subtle young man”?

Oldham had got under his skin, he felt that the charges against him were petty and unjustified, that he was being treated unfairly and even persecuted.  Later Harietta Morrison would claim that it was an attempt to have him removed, because “he [had] assisted the men in his section in certain grievances”.  The perceived injustice would no doubt have been heightened by the fact that he had returned from leave at the end of June fully expecting to be promoted to Captain.  Now, less than two months later rather than promotion, he faced censure and ridicule.

Despite this, when he wrote to his father on the 21 August, he didn’t seem overly despondent and was contemplating making an application for a Court Martial so as to give himself an opportunity to clear his name.  In the mean time he tried to reassure his parents.  “I will let you know how things pan out so do not worry just yet”.  However, events were moving faster than anyone might have imagined.

By the 27 August the matter was in the hands of Major General Leckey the G.O.C. Third Army artillery.  His response to Lewis’s report were contained in a confidential memo which arrived back at “R” battery early on the evening of the 2 September.  Douglas Morrison had been off duty that day and in the morning had taken the opportunity to visit Amiens with another officer Lt. H.A. Costigan.  They returned first to Favreuil where Costigan was stationed before Morrison drove the few miles back to Gomiecourt where he was billeted, arriving there about midnight.  Costigan would later remember that he did not appear to be depressed and “his behaviour was perfectly normal.”  Things were about to change.

Leckey’s decision was lying unopened on the mess table in the Anderson hut where some of the officers also slept.  It was to the point, “I consider Lieut. D.S.G. Morrison, R.F.A. is unfit to remain in command of an Anti-Aircraft Section in the field and I am therefore issuing orders for him to be posted to a Divisional Artillery”.  The effect was devastating.  Douglas Morrison tried to wake his friend Wilson-Hughes and speak to him but he was “too sleepy to reply” and went back to sleep.  Taking the memo he initialed it and added the comment “Absolutely unjust”; it was 12.30.  Minutes later he stepped outside, put his revolver to his forehead and pulled the trigger.

At the Court of Inquiry that was held into his death on the 13 and 16 September 1917 Lieutenant Wilson-Hughes, gave evidence to the effect that his friend had not threatened to take his life but that he had been depressed as a result of “certain adverse reports which had been made on him, and which he discussed with me”.  Undoubtedly this was a critical factor in Douglas Morrison’s suicide but the case was more complex than that.

Writing to Inspector and Mrs. Morrison, Wilson-Hughes offered the opinion that, “These accusations preyed on your son’s mind terribly as he looked on them as in the nature of a reflection on the good name and reputation of his family.  In consequence he became more and more depressed … .  Whatever you may think of your son’s extreme action in the matter, I would like you to have the comfort of knowing that the steps he took were in my opinion wholly and purely dictated by the feeling that the slur resulting from the adverse report might in some way tarnish or reflect upon the reputation, good name and honour of his family, in which he always seemed wholly wrapped up.”  If this was the case it perhaps tells us as much about Douglas Morrison’s state of mind at the time as it does about his motives.  He was going to be transferred, not cashiered yet he chose to take his own life.

There is another clue in Wilson-Hughes’s evidence to the Court of Inquiry which tells us about what was going on inside Douglas Morrison’s mind.  In it he said his friend had told him that, “they would never send him back to Divisional Artillery, and that he would defeat them”.  Why was he so determined not to go back to Divisional Artillery?  The answer may be that he had reached the end of his tether.  We have already noted how after more than two and a half years front line service he was, in his father’s words, “beginning to feel the long continued strain” and that was the reason why his CO Major Robinson had got him transferred.  Also, writing to the War Office shortly after his death his mother asks, “Was it entirely “accidental” owing to war exigence only?” – the implication being that she believed that it had at least been partly that.  She certainly believed that he had not been given sufficient rest in view of his lengthy service.  Douglas Morrison was not a coward, he was human, and in his mother’s view a person with a, “highly sensitive and retiring nature …”.

His sense of depression must also have been deepened by his relationship with and feelings about Oldham, that “subtle young person” who in the early hours of the 3 September as Douglas Morrison stood in the mess at Gomiecourt, must have seemed to have ‘won’.  Oldham, the farmer, the temporary captain, he believed lay behind what had happened; he was the driving force, he had manipulated Leefe, the charges were ridiculous and now he, Morrison, the long serving regular was going to be made to pay.  “Absolutely unjust” – the words still ring out from that memo nearly ninety years after they were written.

To make matters worse he had not, he believed, been given sufficient opportunity to defend himself.  Certainly this was the opinion of Wilson-Hughes and Inspector Morrison.  He had expected to be able to present his case formally, if necessary in front of a Court Martial.  In any event he had prepared his “Explanation” in order to refute the charges against him.  However, while there had been several interviews with the Group Commander, (Lewis), this “so-called opportunity to defend himself” is as far as it went.

Not only was there no Court Martial but if his father is to be believed, and there is no evidence to the contrary, General Leckey and Colonel Lewis made their decisions without even having Douglas Morrison’s written “Explanation” in front of them.  “I thought my son’s written answer to the charges … had been before both the Colonel and the General”, Robert Morrison wrote to the War Office, “but now it appears that was not so, and that the latter wrote his adverse minute without having called for any explanation, or given him an opportunity to answer the charges.  What happened was this, my son considered his verbal explanations to the Colonel would be sufficient, and only prepared the answer which was found amongst his papers in the event of his being called upon to furnish one formally, as he naturally expected would be done if the Colonel thought it necessary to bring the matter under the notice of the General, under the circumstances it was surely the duty of Major-General Leckey to have my son’s answer to the charges officially before him when giving his decision, and also to refer to the officers named by my son who could vouch for him and his previous services, and the question must now be asked why were these steps not taken.  Is it any wonder then that in the depressed state that my son then was … this ‘absolutely unjust’ decision should have come as a staggering blow and caused him … to commit the act he did”.

Even if the case against Douglas Morrison was true, was it necessary to send him back to the Divisional Artillery where his previous CO had been aware that he was struggling to cope?  Perhaps his superiors were unaware of this but in addition in Major General Leckey’s memo in which he ordered the transfer, he explained his decision by saying that, “In a field battery he will be under closer supervision than is possible in an Anti-Aircraft Section.”  However, in Leefe’s ‘adverse report’ which presumably Leckey would have seen he commented that he had a, “… very good opportunity for a month of judging [Morrison’s performance], as my quarters are only some 100 yards from the Section and one can hear practically every order given during a shoot and see what happens”. If he could have been closely supervised at “R” Battery the implication is that his superiors simply wanted rid of him.

On the night of the 2 September, Douglas Morrison’s world was unravelling and he could not control what was happening.  In June when he had been home on leave and had been expecting promotion; now his career seemed to be in ruins and all because of what he considered to be an injustice. He faced the prospect of having to return to the Divisional Artillery and it was a prospect with which he could not cope.  His friend was asleep and could not be woken up.  His parents, who had only received his letter on the 29^th, had not yet replied.  Depressed, humiliated and isolated Douglas Morrison took his own life.  Later that day, the 3 September, he was buried in Achiet-le-Grande Communal Cemetery Extension, France, plot 1, row K, grave 13.  He was 27 years old.  On his headstone the inscription added by his parents after the war reads, “We asked full life O God of thee, thou gavest immortality”.

Three days after his death a telegram was sent by the War Office to Douglas Morrison’s parents in Lisburn telling them that he had been “accidentally killed”.  A letter the following day informed them that his death had been “self inflicted”.  They were distraught – “stricken to the heart by the awful tragedy”, but more than that, they were angry.  Not only was their son dead but they knew something had been going on and suspected, and quickly came to believed that their son’s superiors, most notably Oldham but also Leefe and Leckey, were to blame.  “If he had been killed in action we would have bowed our heads in resignation,” Robert Morrison wrote to the War Office, “but to have his young life sacrificed in this way is a blow which I greatly fear will yet add another ‘victim’, for unless some reparation can be made to his memory I greatly fear that my poor wife will not long survive the awful calamity which has befallen us”.

These suspicions and beliefs were fueled not only by what their son had said to them in his letter of the 21 August but also by what they were told by his friend Lieutenant Wilson-Hughes.  He had been delegated by Leefe “to take over his duties and responsibilities” and acquaint Robert and Harietta Morrison with the details of what had happened.  Meanwhile, “neither my Son’s Col[onel], … Major Leefe or “temporary” Capt. Oldham have sent one single word regarding my dear Sons death, not even an intimation that such took place, or a word of regret or condolence in such exceptionally distressing circumstances, and he is dead a fortnight today”.  Even five months later, “none of those three ‘hero[e]s’ [had written] one word to us in our deep sorrow”.

By the standards of the day this was unusual to say the least.  It may have been that Oldham and Leefe felt that because they had not seen eye to eye with Douglas Morrison and his parents knew this, that they could not eulogise him (as was the custom) without the parents seeing through it.  Robert Morrison put a different interpretation on it.  To him it was, “the most sinister part of the tragedy”. Certainly something which is slightly harder to explain was that, “in connection with his funeral arrangements neither Major Leefe nor Capt. Oldham gave the slightest assistance.”

But there was more.  The “most astounding incident of all” occurred on the 4 September, the day after the funeral.  According to Wilson-Hughes Captain Oldham had phoned him up and told him to “go all through your son’s private papers and destroy all those connected with the adverse report as, to use Capt. Oldham’s words – the adverse report was on no account to reach his people”.  This he felt was an indication of, “the length to which apparently the Major and Captain were willing to go to hush the matter up” and “avoid… any subsequent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death”.

But even this was not the end of it.  In a subsequent communication to the War Office Robert Morrison made the claim (referred to earlier) that his son had not been given “an opportunity to answer the charges” which had been made against him.  Furthermore, in January the following year he wrote again accusing Oldham of opening letters which he had sent to his son which had arrived after his death and of destroying others which his wife and daughter had sent.  “Only one construction can be put on such behaviour, and that is that those concerned in the persecution to which my son was subjected wished to know what I had written to my son and so were quite prepared to open my letters in order to find out, while as regards my wife and daughter’s letters they contained such animadvertions [animadversions] on the conduct of those who were making my son’s position so intolerable that in despair of getting justice or fair play he was driven to his fatal act that they were determined at all costs to prevent their contents ever becoming public even though by so doing they incurred the risk of prosecution for a felony”.

The Morrison’s demanded a full and independent enquiry.  “Some officers” they believed, “wanted to make matters so unpleasant that he would be obliged to leave th[e] Section” and now they were trying to cover it up.  Robert Morrison’s letters were studied and formal.  One gets the impression that this was too important an issue to let emotion get in the way.  It was indeed, “a sacred duty to have justice done to my son’s memory”.  Harietta Morrison could hardly contain herself; in a series of letters written between the September 1917 and the February the following year distress and anger flowed from her pen.

Leefe was an “accursed specimen of Red Tape”, He, Lewis and Oldham were “Egg Shell Warriors”.  “No wonder that Arch Devil the Kaiser called ours ‘That contemptable little Army’,” she scathingly remarked, “he evidently knew the calibre of some of its officers”.  “I wish to know”, she demanded a few weeks later, “what progress is being made about the military inquiry regarding the murder of my Son … for the matter amounts to murder for which that brute Oldham is responsible with the cognizance of Lewes and Leafe.  …  If such ‘parvenus’ of the ‘New Army’ are permitted to ‘lord’ it over and worry Original Army Regulars, the War Council ‘Ostrich[e]s and Idiots’ will have the ‘pleasure’ soon of ‘enquiring’ why soldiers shoot their own officers as has occurred frequently. … .  I demand that Oldham is cashiered the service.  Lewis and Leafe must be severely punished and we shall see that such is done”.  “Five months have passed” she wrote the following February, “since our loved only Son … was deprived of life through the ignorant jealousy, dishonourable and unmanly conduct of his ‘temporary’ so called ‘officers’ … .  I again demand that Oldham is cashiered.”

By the beginning of October the Adjutant General’s Office had became involved in the case and instructed the War Office to forward a copy of proceedings of any Court of Inquiry.  Additional statements were collected from those involved and these along with Robert Morrison’s letters were sent off to Field Marshall Haig’s Headquarters in France for their consideration.

GHQ identified three elements to the case which needed to be considered.  Firstly, that Douglas Morrison had been subjected to “continued persecution” by Leefe and Oldham, which resulted in him taking his life.  Secondly that they had tried to get hold of his private papers relating to the case, “with the object of avoiding any subsequent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death”.  Thirdly that they had opened private letters addressed to Morrison which arrived after his death and failed to return others even though they had the address.

As for as the matter of the letters was concerned GHQ concluded that “there appears to be no ground for supposing that any private letters written by the family of the late Lieutenant Morrison were destroyed, or opened at the Battery Headquarters”.  Oldham himself denied opening any of the letters saying that they had been, “returned to the post authorities at once after having been re-addressed by the Bty clerk and signed by me”.   It was felt that they had been opened by the postal authorities because the envelopes had been damaged and it had been done to “verify the address which had been written on the envelopes”.  It is difficult to argue with this conclusion; Robert Morrison himself had made the observation that his address appeared on them “in a partially obliterated form.”  In addition the letters had been returned in a “Returned Postal Packet” and these were used by the postal service and not army units.  As for the disappearance of other letters, Oldham suggested that in one case this may have been because it had been sent back to Cox & Co. because by then the Battery “was composed almost entirely of ne[w] officers – the addresses of the previous ones had been destroyed”.

As for the claim that Morrison had been driven to suicide because his intervention on behalf of the other officers had led to a vendetta against him, “There is nothing in the reports themselves”, they concluded, “to show that Major Leefe was actuated by any improper motives”.  They also felt, not unreasonably, that in view of Douglas Morrison’s death it was, “[im]practicable … to enquire into the specific incidents which caused his superior officers to form an adverse opinion concerning his efficiency”.  Douglas Morrison had closed that line of enquiry himself.

However, no consideration at all seems to have been given to the issue of whether or not he was given an adequate opportunity to defend himself either by presenting his written “Explanation” to Lewis and Leckey or by applying for a Court Martial.  Moreover, there was no mention of Oldham in the exoneration of Leefe.  GHQ had more to say about this particularly when it came to the matter of the ‘private papers’ and the accusation that he had ordered these to be destroyed so that, “on no account [would they] reach his [Morrison’s] people”.

Oldham along with Leefe had denied that the “adverse report” on Morrison had been sent in “because he assisted the men in his section in certain grievances” but his denial of the claim that he had ordered the destruction of Morrison’s private papers did not entirely convince GHQ.  In their view, “There is a direct conflict of evidence as to [the] conversation concerning the return of the papers relating [to] the adverse reports”.

In a statement he made on the 14 December Oldham stressed that he had given no orders to Wilson-Hughes to destroy any papers but ordered him to return the adverse report which was “official correspondence” to Battery H.Q. so that they could be sent on to Group H.Q.  This was not a “request … for the destruction of papers but an order to send … official documents.”  He also made the observation that Wilson-Hughes had, “made no comment to me on receipt of above order which was given by telephone”.

Technically this was correct.  Wilson-Hughes had made no comment at the time.  However, what Oldham did not say was that he (Wilson-Hughes) phoned him back a few minutes later and said that he was not prepared to destroy the papers or to send them to Major Leefe.  Moreover, Wilson-Hughes’s version of events was supported by Lieutenant Haigh and Second-Lieutenant Page two other officers in the battery the former officer being present at both conversations, and the latter being present at the first one.

“For the above reasons I am of the opinion that the version given by Lieutenant Wilson-Hughes is probably the correct one.  If this is so, the action of Captain Oldham appears in a most unfavourable light.  It might be considered reasonable to endeavour to prevent documents of that nature from reaching Lieutenant Morrison’s parents if the motive which inspired such an endeavour was a desire to spare the parents any additional distress; and if Captain Oldham had put forward this explanation, his attitude might have been understood.  His denial of conversations which are supported by such convincing statements does, however, suggest that he had some ulterior motive in approaching Lieutenant Wilson-Hughes, and to that extent throws a doubt upon the circumstances in which the adverse reports were written”.  To put it bluntly, GHQ suspected that Oldham was lying and that this gave credence to Robert Morrison’s claim that he had been persecuting their son.

However, in Oldham’s defence it must be said that Wilson-Hughes himself says that he got the “impression” that it was the private copies of the papers which he said Oldham had told him to destroy.  Also if Oldham had not ordering the destruction of the papers as he said he hadn’t, then he could not offer the explanation that he had done so to spare the parents.  In addition as the War Office pointed out, and as Wilson-Hughes himself observed, neither Haigh or Page had actually heard all of the conversation, just his side of it.  So if Oldham was in fact telling the truth then either Wilson-Hughes was lying or there had been a misunderstanding.

On the 27 February 1918 GHQ’s observations on the case arrived at the War Office.  There, a week later and having, “read through this case very carefully”, they came to the conclusion that, “Captain Oldham did in fact telephone to Lieut. Wilson-Hughes directing him to go through all Morrison’s papers and destroy all those connected with the adverse report and that Captain Oldham did use the words ‘the adverse report was on no account to reach his people.’  … .  I think Captain Oldham in denying the conversation at all is not speaking the truth and merely because he is afraid that his actions would be misinterpreted.  This is, I think, very foolish of him”.

At this point one might be forgiven for suspecting that Oldham’s reputation and career were about to go up in smoke.  That was not the case.  Quite remarkably, the war Office then decided that, “there was nothing whatever sinister in the action of captain Oldham and that he merely desired to ensure that the relatives might be spared the pain of seeing copies of the various adverse reports which had been made against this officer from time to time”.  In other words having reached the conclusion that Oldham was being less than truthful, the War Office rather than investigate the matter further decided to explain his actions by offering an explanation which Oldham himself had never made and which GHQ had inadvertently handed to them in their observations on the case.

On route to this conclusion the War Office seem to have been swayed by the fact that Haigh and Page were not privy to both sides of the telephone conversation that had taken place.  “I do not understand all these constant allusions in the letter of G.H.Q. about various people being present when the alleged telephone conversation took place”, they commented.  “Unless the telephone were provided with an abnormal number of receivers and everyone could have one to place at his ear I fail to see how anybody could have heard the conversation with the exception of the speaker and the hearer”.  However, if they were suggesting that the corroborating evidence of Haigh and Page could not be relied upon because it only gave part of the picture then it is difficult to understand how in the first place they arrived at the conclusion that Oldham had ordered the destruction of the papers.  If the evidence of the two junior officers was to be discounted then the question of who had said what was down to the word of one officer against another and drawing a definitive conclusion as the War Office had done would be impossible.

Nevertheless, the case was now closed, well almost.  There were a few loose ends to tie up.  “Get a letter drafted to the parents saying that … Army Council have no cause to suppose that the adverse reports made … [by] Captain Oldham, Major Leefe and Lieut. Colonel Lewis were the result of anything else than their unbiased opinion of the late officers efficiency – that Captain Oldham did direct Lieut Wilson-Hughes to go through all the private papers of the late Lieut. Morrison and destroy all those connected with the adverse report as the adverse report was on no account to reach his people.  … and [that] the Army Council can find nothing sinister in Captain Oldham’s directions as they incline to the view that his desire was that the relatives should be spared the pain of eventually receiving among his private papers documents tending to show that he was inefficient”.  Nothing was to be said to the parents about the War Office’s belief that Oldham may have been ‘economical with the truth’.

Nor was anything more to be done about it.  “Direct that a copy of the letter be sent to the officers concerned viz:- Colonel Lewis, Major Leefe and Captain Oldham and say that the Army Council consider that it is a matter of regret that captain Oldham’s memory would appear to have been at fault in regard to the telephone conversation which is alleged to have taken place between himself and Lieut. Wilson-Hughes adding that in view of the impossibility of establishing the exact conversation which did take place the Council do not intend to take any further action in regard to Captain Oldham’s action beyond forwarding him for his retention a copy of the letter which has been sent to the father of the late Lieut. Morrison”.

Why had the War Office behaved this way?  At least here there was a bit of clarity, “… any person reading the adverse reports would come to the conclusion that Lieut. Morrison was an argumentative insubordinate officer of an impossible type”.  In other words they believed that he was ‘not a good sort’ and that, by implication, the criticisms of him were true; it did not seem to matter therefore that Captain Oldham may have been less than truthful or that Douglas Morrison may not have had a proper opportunity to defend himself.  Like Major Leckey, the War Office seems to have accepted the criticisms without fully considering both sides of the argument.  “However, de mortuis”, they ‘generously’ concluded.

Nor at the end of the day may justice have been done for Eric Oldham.  There is a lingering suspicion that he may have been “a subtle young person”, the Machiavelli that the Morrisons thought that he was, but the case against him is not proven.  The accusations against him were pushed to the side and never fully investigated.  He may have been manipulating Leefe (see above); he may or may not have lied about the destruction of the papers; he may or may not have opened or destroyed the Morrisons letters.

Unfortunately his own service record is of little help in resolving these questions.  In it there is absolutely no reference whatsoever to the case, not even a copy of the letter that the War office sent out to him after concluding their deliberations.  The only unusual thing that it reveals is the amount of leave that he was able to take.  Of his 1270 days service between his arrival in France and the end of the war he was on leave seven times and for a total of 62 days.  Two months leave is more than most men serving on the Western Front would have enjoyed.  Interestingly thirty one of those days, exactly 50% came while he was serving with “R” Battery between the 4 February 1917 and the 22 April 1918 a period of service which accounted for 35% of his time in France.  But what does this demonstrate?  Perhaps it is a reflection of the fact that in Anti-aircraft battery leave was easier to come by or could it be some reflection of his relationship with his CO Major Leefe?

Douglas Morrison by comparison appears to have done less well.  In over three years service at the front he had only been on leave twice – for nine days in October 1916 and ten the next June, his final visit home.  Was Harietta Morrison aware of this?  “War Office makes criminal mistake” she wrote, “not giving long rests, at home, to the original R Battery men, who like my poor son, went out [in] August 1914”.

In the end it is the War office which comes out with the least credit.  They believed that Morrison was “argumentative and insubordinate” and that Oldham had not been truthful but choose to explain it away rather than investigate thoroughly.  After all this case was about a junior officer, he was dead and nothing would change that.  They had other things to be getting on with.  In war individuals and their interests counted for little.

At one point the thought crossed someone’s mind that, “the action taken by Lt. Wilson-Hughes gives ground for enquiry”.  This was something that had concerned Robert Morrison from the start.  “There is … one request that I must make” he had written to the War Office, “and that is that the interests of all those officers and men who are examined may be safeguarded, and that they will not suffer in any respect for so nobly coming forward to right what they consider a great wrong”.  In the end the idea was rejected.

The Morrison’s were also concerned that officialdom would out manoeuvre them.  “I am simply his mother and have a right to know the truth (not a barbed wire entanglement of Red Tape),” Harietta Morrison wrote.  “… pray – peel off all trimmings of said thread bare and dirty material, and state – plainly – fully – and truthfully – without excuses – pleas of military etiquette or desire to hush up the matter …”.

There was more of the same the following February.  “About three weeks ago Mr. Morrison wrote to that ‘Play House’ viz War Office, asking what was being done about the inquiry – not even the courtesy of a reply … is granted – doubtless the traditional ‘Wait and See’ policy so prevalent with the various ‘lengths and specimens of Military Red Tape’ accounts for much want of decent manners – but this ‘Wait and See’ brought on this odious war, and will lose victory for our beloved Empire, if traded in too much or long, as everyone knows the widespread, undesirable reputation of the War Office menials.  … don’t attempt to ‘kill time’ by sheer ‘Wait and See’ foolery – or shield the guilty men who drove my son to his death.  In the end they were right to be concerned.

The investigation of Douglas Morrison’s death had rumbled on for over six months before the War Office decided to bring it to a close.  His parents believed rightly or wrongly that the matter had not been properly or fully investigated, that an injustice had been done and those who were responsible had not been punished.  Their son was dead and his reputation in ruins.  Robert and Harietta Morrison would have to live with this for the rest of their days.  They, as much as he, had become victims of the Great War.  Of the participants in the story, Oldham, Leefe and Leckey all survived.  So too did Wilson-Hughes, Haigh and Page.

MORROW, Corporal Andrew Johnston.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down on the 10.4.1888. A single man and bookkeeper by trade he enlisted at Toronto, with no previous military experience, on the 23.7.15 age 27 years and 3 months and was passed fit for overseas service the same day.  5’ 7¾” tall, he had a 37½” chest with a 2½” expansion, fresh complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.  Serving in 52 MtbaR, CEF (135786) he was reported MIA and in July 1917 and subsequently as KIA in France on the 21.9.16 age 28.  His death is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial, France.  He was the third son of the late Andrew Morrow of 70 University Street, Belfast and formerly of Hillsborough and brother of Miss Lillie Smyth of 75 Maitland Street, Toronto.

MORROW, Captain Hugh Gelston M.C.  A member of Lisnagarvey Hockey Club, he had served his apprenticeship with Messrs. Ross Bros. Ltd., of Linenhall Street, Belfast.  Entering the army as a cadet he obtained his commission in July 1916 being sent to the front later that year where he served in 15 RIR.  He won the MC for gallantry at Cambrai in November 1917 and was KIA in Belgium on the 20.10.18, the same day as his Colonel.  He was 24 years of age.  He is buried in Harlebeke New British Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, plot 7, row B, grave 18.  He was the only son of Andrew J. Morrow of 2 Avonmore Terrace, Balmoral, Belfast and formerly a “respected townsman” of Lisburn who was secretary of the Co. Down Committee of Agriculture.  Captain Morrow’s Major, writing to his father, described how, “He fell at the head of his men, gallantly leading them against a machine gun which was holding up the advance.  He was well ahead of his men when he was shot.  He will be much missed in the battalion, in which he was very popular with all ranks.  The men of his Company had the very highest opinion of him both from the point of view of his bravery and skill as a leader, and also from the personal point of view.  He died a soldier’s death at the head of his men, and fell fighting in the greatest cause man has ever fought for”.  At the meeting of Lisburn Urban Council on the 4 November, Dr. St. George spoke of how, “he was closely connected with the neighbourhood by ties of birth and relationship” and how he had, “brought honour to himself and the town”.  Harlebeke village, located 32 kilometres east of Ypres, was taken on the night of the 19th-20th October 1918 by the 9th (Scottish) Division.  The cemetery was made after the Armistice by the concentration of graves from the surrounding battlefields of 1918 and (in 1924-25) from German Cemeteries or Plots in Belgium.

 

MORROW, Rifleman James.  Born in Derriaghy, he lived in Lisburn, and, was a member of Knocknadona Temperance LOL 159, Pond Park Red Cross Preceptory No. 113, along with Henry Addis (above), and of the UVF.  He enlisted at Clandeboye and served in 11 RIR (7284) embarking with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Reported missing on the 16.7.16 and, a year late in July 1917, confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1 July 1916, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, face B.  The son of William and Mrs. Morrow of Mullaghglass, Stoneyford, his death was also remembered by them and his sisters also of Mullaghglass, Stoneyford in the Lisburn Herald on the 5 July 1919 and the1 July 1922.  The 1919 notice read, “Could I, his mother, have clasped his hand, The one I loved so well; And kissed his brow, when death was nigh, And whisered – James farewell.  But when my heart is breaking, I seem to hear him say – ‘Keep up your heart, dear mother, We’ll meet again some day.’”

MORROW, Rifleman Robert (Bob).  Born in Lisburn, he lived at 10 Hillhall Road, in the town.  He enlisted there and served in A Company 11 RIR (18514) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1 July 1916 aged 29; his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the eldest son of Rob and Ellen Morrow of 10 Hillhall Road, Lisburn.  They included the following In Memoriam verse in the Herald on the 30.6.17. “For He who has called them from battle, Has given His beloved sleep”.  Another notice in the Herald on the 5 July 1919 simply read, “Ever remembered by his sorrowing Father and Mother, Sisters and Brothers”.

MOULDS, Lieutenant Thomas John. M.C. and bar.   He emigrated to Canada in about 1913 and enlisted in the ranks of the First Canadian Division (9942) in 1914.  “Serv[ing] with distinction” at the Second Battle of Ypres, Festubert, where he was wounded, Mount Sorrel, the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Fresnoy and Hill 60, he was promoted to Company Sergeant Major.  In June 1916 when he was involved in the capture of Sorrel, he took command when his platoon commander became a casualty, led his men into the German trenches and had them consolidate the position under heavy shellfire.  Three months later he won his first M.C. at Courcellette on the Somme.  Here he was in command of a platoon holding an advanced sap that was under heavy shellfire.  Although two thirds of his men became casualties, he held the position for seventy-two hours until the survivors were relieved.  “This sap,” the citation stated, “was of extreme importance, and if evacuated, it would have placed our troops in a very perilous position”.  CSM Moulds was subsequently promoted “in the field” to the rank of Lieutenant.  Two years later while serving with 3 CI, COR, he was KIA at Bourlon Wood near Cambrai on the 27.9.18.  It was for his actions that day that he was posthumously awarded a bar to his M.C.  The citation read, “For most conspicuous gallantry during the Bourlon Wood operations on the 27 September 1918.  When his Company was held up by heavy machine gun fire he pushed his platoons forward by sections, outflanking a battery of 77 mm field guns, capturing it and taking prisoner what was left of the crew.  He rushed the rest in the same manner, killing the crew and capturing two guns.  He took his objective, and though surrounded supervised consolidation.  He did splendid work”.  Thomas Moulds is buried in Queant Communal Cemetery, British Extension, Pas de Calais, France, row C, grave 11.  He was the son of Robert and Mrs. Moulds of Colinview House, Dunmurry.  Two brothers Private William Moulds and Sergeant Joseph Moulds also served.  Both appear to have survived although Joseph, who was in the RE, was wounded on the 1.3.17 and by the end of the month was in a Military Hospital in Eastbourne, Sussex.  He lost his right arm as a result of his wounds.

MULHOLLAND, Private Henry.  Born in Lisburn, he lived and enlisted at Belfast and served in the LR (1642), before transferring to 5 CR (15083).  He died in France on the 14.11.18 and is buried in Busigny Communal Cemetery Extension, France, plot 8, row A, grave 46.

MULHOLLAND, Private Hugh.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 5 RInF (4656).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 15.8.15 aged 22, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 97-101.  He was the son of Henry and Mary Mulholland of 47 Milford Street, Belfast.

MULHOLLAND, Rifleman James.    Born, in and enlisted at Lisburn, where he lived at 11 Canal Street, he served in 11 RIR (18525) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA in Belgium on the 1.9.16 aged 31, his death is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, panel 40.  He was the son of the late James and Charlotte Mulholland and nephew of Mrs. Totten of 11 Canal Street, Lisburn.  A letter to his aunt by 2 Lt. Sam Waring informing her of his death noted that, “He was one of those we could ill afford to loose.  He was always so cheerful and ready to do his duty, and it was whilst at his post that he met his death most gallantly.  It may be a small consolation to you to know that he was properly buried along with his comrades and their graves have been registered”.  His brother and sister-in-law Robert and Sarah Mulholland lived at 117 Gregg Street, Lisburn and his aunt and uncle, Robert and Lizzie Lamont at number 42.  They lost their son William Lamont (above) in the same action.

MULHOLLAND, Sergeant James.  Born in Blaris, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Lisburn, and served in 1 RIR (8816).  KIA on the Somme on the 21.3.18, his death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France, panels 74-6.

MULHOLLAND, Private John.  Born in Drumlough, Hillsborough, Co. Down on the 27.6.1889, he was a labourer by trade, and had four years experience in the Royal Irish Rifles.  He enlisted at Sheerbrooke in Canada on the 12.4.1915 aged 25 years and 10 months and was passed fit for overseas service the same day.  5’ 6” tall with a 35” chest (fully expanded) and 2” range of expansion, he had a ruddy complexion, blue eyes and fair hair.  He served in the CEF, possibly the 5^th Canadian Mounted Rifles (110387).  He was the husband of Maggie Mulholland of Drumlough, Hillsborough, Co. Down.  His death is recorded on Hillsborough War Memorial but other than that, there is no trace so far.

MULHOLLAND, Private Michael Patrick.  Born, living in and enlisted at Glenavy_, Co. Antrim, he served in RIrR (2787) before being transferred to 8 RMF (4231).  Reported missing and subsequently KIA in Belgium on the 6.11.16, he is buried in Voormezeele Enclosure No.3, Ypres, Belgium, plot 16, row K, grave 19.

MULHOLLAND, Lance Corporal Robert J.  Born in Crumlin on the 27.4.1888 he was a native of Glenavy, Co. Antrim.  A single man and engineer with no previous military experience, he enlisted at Edmonton, Alberta on the 9.11.15 aged 27½ and was passed fit for overseas service the same day.  He was 5’ 11” tall with a 36¾” chest, a fresh complexion, dark grey eyes, dark brown hair and had a tattoo on his left hand.  Posted to 14 CI QR (437899), he was KIA on the Somme on the 27.9.16 age 28 and is buried in Courcelette British Cemetery, France, plot 5, row D, grave 20.  He was the son of John and Ellen Mulholland of 9 Crosshill Cottage, Crumlin, Co. Antrim.

MULLIGAN, Lance corporal John (Jack).  Born and living in Lisburn, he was a shoemaker by trade, and was employed at E. Donaghy & Sons in the town.  A member of the UVF, he volunteered in Lisburn in September 1914, enlisting with 11 RIR with whom he embarked for France as a rifleman from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  He subsequently took part in all the major fighting in which the Ulster Division was involved and was transferred to 12 RIR 18527 when 11 RIR were disbanded.  KIA in Belgium on the 11.4.18 aged 23, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140 and on the family headstone in Lisburn Cemetery.  He was the son of Richard and Ellen Mulligan of Dublin Road, Lisburn who died in 1930 and 1947 respectively.  His brother QMS Thomas Mulligan M.M. RASC also served and was in Salonica at the time of Jack’s death.

MUNCE, Gunner William.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 109 Battery RGA (29387).  He DoW in France on the 7.10.18 and is buried in Tincourt New British Cemetery, France, plot 5, row D, grave 13.  There is no headstone inscription.

MURDOCH, 2nd. Lieutenant Thomas John Carson.  Born in Belfast, he was educated at the Belfast Municipal Technical School and Q.U.B. where he was a member of and, as a keen musician, a piper in, the OTC.  A member of the UVF, he had begun to write “An Irish History for Protestant Children” although this was never finished.  At the outbreak of the war he was studying marine engineering at Workman, Clarke and Co., Ltd.  He was also ill at the time and on recovering had gone to Oldham to spend a holiday with his uncle, Dr. Carson J.P. coroner for the borough and ex-mayor of the town.  It was there that he volunteered for service and was granted his commission on 31 December 1914.  Promoted to Lieutenant in September 1915 he went to the front in November where he served in 24 MR.  He was KIA on the Somme on the 6.2.16 aged 20.  According to his Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Batten, Murdoch and five others were standing in a front line trench which the battalion had only just taken over when a “canister” i.e. a German trench mortar, landed amongst them, killing them all.  Batten goes on to note that he “was killed on the spot and suffered no pain and in fact probably never even realized it”.  He is buried in Point 110 Old Military Cemetery, Fricourt, France, row J, grave 1.  The headstone inscription gives his age and his parents details as recorded here.  He was the only son of Thomas H. and Sarah Murdoch, Beech Hurst, Mosside, Dunmurry.  Thomas Murdoch senior was a member of Lisburn Board of Guardians.  According to Middlebrook, “The Somme Battlefields” page 144, Point 110 Old Cemetery “was full by February 1916.  Nearly half the graves are from the 20th., 21st. and 24th. Manchesters, including 11 of the 24th. Manchesters in a group at the back of the Cemetery, all killed in February 1916 when a shell scored a direct hit on their dug-out”.  Murdoch’s grave is the last, on the right, in this row.  Of the six headstones to the left, five are dated 6.2.16 and belong to soldiers from the MR.  So too does the first headstone in the next row.

MURPHY, Sergeant John.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in A Company 1 RIR (8263).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 aged 28, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium.  He was the son of Mary Ann Murphy of 8 Lawyer Street, Sandy Row, Belfast.

MURPHY, Lance corporal Thomas.  Born and living in Lisburn where he enlisted, he served in B Company 11 RIR (18535) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.   Reported wounded and MIA on the 16.7.16 and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15A/B.  He was the son of Thomas and Mary Murphy of 53 Castle Street, Lisburn.  An entry by his parents, in the “In Memoriam” column of the Lisburn Standard for 5.7.18 records his death as “believed KIA”.

MURRAY, Sergeant James.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Calcutta, enlisted at Calaba in India and served in 7 RIR (7/3523).  KIA in France on the 15.9.15, he is buried in St. Pierre Cemetery, Amiens, France, plot 3.  He was the husband of Mrs. J.M. Murray of 2 May Road, Calcutta, India.

MURRAY, J.  RIR (5320). He lived in Lisburn.  His death from wounds is reported in the Lisburn Standard for the 2.11.16 but there is no further trace so far.

 

MURRAY, Second Lieutenant William Jr.  1st Battalion Middlesex Regiment.  KIA in France on the 24.04.17 aged 25 he is buried in Cojeul British Cemetery, St. Martin-Sur-Cojeul row B, grave 60.  St Martin-sur-Cojeul is a village about 8 kilometres south-south-east of Arras.  He was the son of William and Mary Eliza Murray of 120 University Avenue, Belfast.  They commemorated their son’s death on the family headstone in Lisburn Cemetery.  William snr. died in 1934 aged 81 and Mary Eliza in 1927 aged 66.

 

MURTAGH Patrick.  Commemorated on Lisburn War memorial, there is no positive trace so far.

MYNES, Private Thomas.  Born in Lisburn he lived at Mercer Street in the town and before the war worked in the dye works at Hilden mill.  A member of Blaris LOL, he enlisted at Lisburn shortly after the outbreak of the war and served in 5 RIrF (3398).  He “saw considerable service” and died from pneumonia in hospital in Calais on the 27.6.18 aged 21.  He was buried with full military honours in Les Baraques Military Cemetery, Sangatte, France, plot 4, row B, grave 7A.  His mother lived at 16 Mercer Street, Lisburn.  His brother, Charles, who also lived at Mercer Street and had been employed at Hilden Mill, was in the UVF and served in 11 RIR.  He was wounded by a mine explosion on the 23 October 1915, less than three weeks after he had embarked for France from Bordon Camp.  According to Captain O.B. Webb his Company officer, the explosion had, “partially buried him with earth [and] it took some time to get him out, as it was feared his legs might be seriously injured”.  As it turned out, he had a fractured forearm and a slight wound to his left foot.  Charles Mynes was hospitalized for a while and was wounded again in the Spring of 1918 but appears to have survived the war.

NEAGLE, Rifleman Francis.  Born in Blaris, Co. Antrim, he lived in Lisburn where he had been a member of the Boys Brigade, worked at the Island Mill with his brother William James (see below) and played 2^nd trombone in Lisburn Temperance Silver Band, in which Henry Corkin (above) also played.  He enlisted at Lisburn early in the war and served with 2 RIR (11327) in Gallipoli.  Slightly wounded, he returned home to Lisburn on sick leave where, “his parents made an attempt to claim him off as he was not nineteen years of age, but young Neagle point-blank refused to leave the army”, and on his recovery was posted to the Western Front.  On the 11 December 1915 he wrote to the Rev. R.W. Hamilton thanking the members of Railway Street Presbyterian Church for a parcel they had sent him.  In his letter he remarked that, “I am proud and willing with the Lord’s help to do my part in helping to bring this war to a satisfactory end”.  He was KIA in France on the 17.5.16 aged 21 and his death is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, Faubourg D’Amiens Cemetery, France, bay 9.  He was the son of James and Mary Neagle of 39 Mercer Street and 13 Canal Street, Lisburn and brother of Lance Corporal William James Neagle, who, before the war, had been employed as a flax dresser at the Island Spinning Company.  He had a wife, Florence, and two children living at Island Cottage, Lisburn.  A member of LOL 207 and of the South Antrim Volunteers, he enlisted in 11 RIR in 1914 and embarked with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Transferred to the RirF, he was wounded in late June or early July 1916 and reported missing on the 22.3.18.  However, he appears to have survived the war.

NEILL, Rifleman Albert E.    Lived at the Maze he served in 20 RIR (110).  He died at “home” on the 10.8.16 and is buried in Blaris Old Cemetery, grave 168.

NEILL, Rifleman George.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RIR (7231).  KIA in France on the 19.9.14 age 32, his death is commemorated on the La Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial, France.  He was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Neill of 9 Surrey Street, Belfast and husband of Margaret Neill of 67 Abingdon Street, Donegall Road, Belfast.  The La Ferte-Souse-Jouarre Memorial is on the Marne about 20 Km. east of Meaux.  It commemorates those killed in the fighting from August to early September 1914 who have no known grave.  William John Johnston 1 DCLI killed on the 9th. September, and Robert Smeaton and Joseph Hanna 2 RIR, both killed on the 20th September, are also commemorated there.

NEILL, Private James.  Born in Derriaghy, he may have been a member of Sommerhill LOL 137 (it was either him or James Neill, below), he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 IG (4771).  KIA in France on the 6.2.15 age 21, he is buried in Cuinchy Communal Cemetery, Pas De Calais, France, plot 2, row B, grave 1.  He was the son of Mrs. Sarah Neill of 42 Sloan Street, Lisburn.

NEILL, Rifleman James.  Born in Lambeg, he was employed at Glenmore Bleachworks.  Possibly a member of Sommerhill LOL 137 (it was either him or James Neill, above), he enlisted at Lisburn and served in B Company 11 RIR (18543) embarking with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  He was KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 and his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  He was the husband of Margaret Neill of 26 Church Hill or Greenhill, Lambeg.  They had two children and his brother-in-law, Sergeant M’Clenaghan was serving with 11 RIR.

NEILL, Lieutenant Reginald (Rex) Henry.  Educated at Mourne Grange, Kilkeel, Co. Down and Malvern College, Worcestershire.  He was an officer in the Second Battalion South Antrim Volunteers (UVF) and served in B Company 11 RIR with whom he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Originally reported as wounded, this was subsequently changed to MIA during the second week of July 1916.  However, his father was still hopeful that he had survived having “learned from a private source that his son is slightly wounded and a prisoner”.  The Standard which reported the news went on to say that, “it is sincerely hoped that the last message is the correct one.”  Unfortunately it was not, Rex Neill was eventually recorded as KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 21.  His body was never found and his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France pier and face 15 A and B.  Also on a plaque in St. John the Baptist Parish Church, Suffolk erected by his fellow officers in B Company 11 RIR and on a memorial window erected by his parents.  The inscription below the window reads, “Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life”.  The plaque beneath it reads, “Erected by his fellow officers in B Co. 11 RIR South Antrim Volunteers in loving memory of Rex Neill who gave his life for his country in the battle of the Somme near Thiepval Wood in July 1916 aged 22”.  He was the son of Reginald and Geraldine Neill of Colingrove, Dunmurry and “Sheena”, Craigavad, Co. Down

NEILL Thomas.  Commemorated on Lisburn War memorial, there is no positive trace so far.

NEILL, Private William.  Born in Drumbeg, Co. Antrim, he lived at Sandymount, Ballyskeagh, Lisburn.  Employed, like his father before him, by Mr. Charley of Seymour Hill, he enlisted at Belfast at the outbreak of the war and served in 1 RInF (3450).  Wounded in Gallipoli on the 29 June 1915, he was treated in hospital in Alexandria from where he wrote to his wife saying that he expected to be on his way home by the time she received his letter.  KIA in Gallipoli on the 21.8.15 aged 45, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 97-101.  He was the son of Mrs. John Neill of Drumbeg, Dunmurry and husband of Maggie Neill of Sandymount, Ballyskeagh and Lambeg, Lisburn.  She only received official confirmation of his death in November 1916.  His two sons-in-law both served in the forces during the war.  A Remembrance Day cross to him was also placed on Lisburn War Memorial on the 7.11.1992.

NELSON, Private Charles.  Born in and enlisted at Belfast he served in 11 RInF (20255).  KIA in France on the 29.7.18 he is buried in Godewaersvelde British Cemetery, France, plot 2, row B, grave 12.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the husband of Mrs. M. Nelson of 15 Fyth Street, Shankill Road, Belfast.

NELSON, Rifleman Robert J.  Lived in Belfast and enlisted at Lisburn, he may have served originally in 11 RIR and embarked with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  He DoW in Belgium on the 5.10.18 while serving with 2 RIR (3036) and is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinghe, Belgium, plot 30, row A, grave 7.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the husband of S.E. Nelson of 12 Brookfield Street, Belfast.

NELSON, Rifleman William.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he lived at Culcavey, Hillsborough, enlisted at Belfast and served in C Company 11 RIR (920).  Reported missing on the 16.6.16 and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.

NEWELL, Lance Corporal James.  Born in Lisburn, he lived at 129 Gregg Street in the town, and before the war was employed by Messrs. Spence and Johnston of Belfast.  He volunteered for service, enlisted at Belfast and served in 77 Field Company RE (112322).  KIA in France on the 19.2.18 aged 31, Captain A.J. Codding wrote to his widow to inform her of his death.  “I much regret to inform you,” he began, “that your husband, Lance Corporal Newell, was killed in action yesterday, the 19.2.18, by the explosion of a shell.  The loss of this NCO will be very much felt by the Company, and more so by the Section to which he belonged.  He was always a very good soldier, and respected and admired alike by his officers and fellow men.  He never seemed to realise what fear was, and always stood by his post and carried on with his work, as becomes a true British soldier, regardless of any danger.  I myself was quite near by, and in fact had been talking to him two minutes before the fatality.  He was buried this morning in an English cemetery quite near here, a chaplain officiating at the burial service, myself and a few of his comrades being present”.  James Newell was buried in Hermies Hill Cemetery, France, plot 1, row 9, grave 27.  He was the husband of Annie Maria Newell of 129 Gregg Street, Lisburn and son of William and Sarah Newell of the Low Road, Lisburn.

NEWELL Sapper James.  Lived on the Low Road, Lisburn and served in the RE.  He was KIA and his death is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial.  There is no other positive trace so far.

NICHOLSON, Rifleman H.   Served in the RIR (13/16912) but subsequently transferred to the LC (593777).  He died at “home” on the 2.9.19 age 22 and is buried in Dromara First Presbyterian Churchyard, grave 235.  He was the son of James and Agnes Gamble Nicholson.

NOBLE, Rifleman Alfred.  Born in Blaris, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Lisburn, and served in 2 RIR (5358).  He DoW in Belgium on the 22.6.17 and is buried in Kandahar Farm Cemetery, Belgium, plot 2, row B, grave 37.  There is no headstone inscription.

NOBLE, Private Samuel.  Born in Ardstraw, Co. Tyrone, he lived at Sion Mills, Co. Tyrone, enlisted at Omagh and served in 9 RInF (11256).  KIA in Belgium on the 30.9.18 age 27, he is buried in Dadizeele New British Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, plot 5, row B, grave 13.  He was the son of James and Margret Noble of Killeaton, Dunmurry.

NORTH, Lance Corporal Samuel.  Born in Drumbo, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 7 RInF (3283).  KIA on the Somme on the 21.3.18 aged 28, his death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France Panels 38 to 40.  He was the son of William and Maria North of Drumbeg, Dunmurry.

O’BRIEN Patrick.  Commemorated on Lisburn War memorial there is no positive trace so far.

O’DONNELL, Private John.  Born in Ballylesson or Ballymacarrett, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in RIR (5707) before transferring to 1 Garrison battalion RIrF (G/125).  He died at “home” on the 14.12.15 age 38 and is buried in Drumbo (Holy Trinity) Church Of Ireland Churchyard.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of John O’Donnell and husband of Jane O’Donell of Carolan Road, Belfast.

O’FLAGHERTY, L.H.    He is commemorated on the memorial in Drumbo (Holy Trinity) Parish Church but there is no positive trace so far.

O’HARA, Private David.  Born at Ballinacreig near Sheeptown, between Newry and Warrenpoint, possibly on the 11.1.1895, he had a Lisburn address.  He enlisted at the start of the war but was “claimed off”, possibly by his sister and guardian Sarah (Mrs. R.) Magee, because he was too young (which suggests that he was not born in 1895).  He rejoined on his eighteenth birthday at Belfast and served in the 7 RInF (26295).  Wounded three times (once in May 1917) and gassed once, he was reported missing early in October 1917.  As a result of this his sister wrote to the CSM of his Company asking for news.

After some delay, on the 16.12.17 CQMS Joseph H. Louden a Dunmurry man serving in D Company, 7/8 RInF replied, giving her what information he could.  “Please accept my apology for the delay in answering your enquiries regarding your Ward, Pte. David O’Hara, being missing.  Personally I was not aware of the fact that you had written to the CSM of his Company.  Being on leave at that time I was unaware of any casualty affecting your boy.  When I returned I was grieved to hear that he had been posted as missing.  Briefly the facts of the case are as follows:- A patrol was sent out to No Man’s Land consisting of one officer, the Coy. Sergt. Major, one Sergeant and two Privates.  In passing I may mention that patrols are voluntary.  The party was observed by the Germans, and the CSM was killed and your boy was wounded.  The remainder of the party carried them as best they could in the darkness until they got lost (a thing that often occurs in trench warfare).  Two of the party decided to try and find our lines, leaving Pte. O’Hara and the remaining man in a shell hole where they would be safe from Machine Gun bullets.  A signal had previously been agreed upon if our lines could be found (three ‘very lights’ in quick succession) as a guide for direction.  After two hours our lines were located by the two men, and the signals agreed upon were sent up.  Your boy and his comrade failed to appear, and a search party was sent out, but failed to find them, as they had disappeared.  The body of the Sergt. Major had disappeared also.  Since then we have taken the trenches in front of which the patrol went out, the famous Hindenberg Tunnel.  Diligent search was made for any sign of the missing men, but nothing further has come to light.  Pte. O’Hara was known as one of the most fearless men in this Battalion, and if any enterprise of a dangerous nature was mentioned he was always the first to volunteer, and the NCO in charge of the party knew he could put every dependence in him.  The word missing does not necessarily mean that he is killed, as we invariably show men as missing (although it is known by their comrade that they are prisoners) until official news comes through from Germany, you must not give up hope on that account.  I can sympathise with you in your anxiety concerning him. … I was not aware that Pte. O’Hara came from Lisburn, as my home is in Dunmurry and I am acquainted with a good many from your district.  I am sorry that the exigencies of this campaign has compelled us to leave that part of the Front, otherwise I might have been able to learn something further concerning his disappearance.  If I can be of any further assistance in the matter, please do not neglect to communicate with me”.

David O’Hara was never seen again, he was subsequently confirmed as having been KIA in France on the 9.10.17 and his death is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, France, bay 6.  Who though were his comrades?  Apart from him, three other men from 7 or 7/8 RInF are listed as having died on the 9 October 1917.  CSM George Dunn who came from Camburslang in Lanarkshire, was one.  Presumably he was the CSM killed out in no man’s land.  He too is commemorated on the Arras memorial.  Two Privates, Peter Mallon from Cookstown and Patrick Henry who lived in Moneyglass are the other two.  Which one was it who stayed out in the shell hole with David O’Hara?  Whoever it was, their body was recovered.  Both men are buried side by side in Croisilles British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, plot 2, row C, graves 2 and 3.

David O’Hara’s father, also David, had been in the South African Mounted Police but had returned home.  He was killed in a fight outside a pub in Kildare Street, Newry in 1902.  David’s sister, Sarah Magee who at the time of the war lived in Park Parade (possibly no. 10), or Llewellyn Avenue, Lisburn, became his legal guardian which may explain why the WOCL gives his address as Lisburn.  It was also Sarah who had his name put on Lisburn war memorial even though he was not really a “Lisburn man”.  His elder brother, James Edward, joined the army in 1906 though by 1912 he was in the reserves.  He was mobilised in 1914 and went out to France with the BEF.  He returned home on several occasions and won both the D.C.M. and M.M.  Taken prisoner at Le Sars on 27 Oct/Nov 1916, he escaped twice.  On one occasion his compatriot, a man called McIlroy, was shot and the wound became gangrenous.  Sarah had believed that both her brothers were dead and only became aware of James Edward’s survival when he returned home after being repatriated in December 1918.  He promptly re-enlisted and was sent to Russia.  He was finally discharged at the end of 1919 and returned to Lisburn, setting up a business in Castle Street,  His first son was named David after his brother.  Sarah Magee went to live in England with her daughter following the death of her husband who had been a manager in Barbour Threads.  However, the two did not get on and she eventually returned to Lisburn, living on the Low Road until her death.  She is buried in Lisburn Cemetery.

O’HARA, Private J.  He is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial but there is no positive trace so far.  Could this be James Edward, brother of David O’Hara above?  He survived but his sister Sarah Magee believed at one point that both her brothers to be dead.

O’NEILL, Private Thomas.  Born in Lisburn, he originally enlisted in 5 RIR in 1896 when he would have been about 20.  Following the outbreak of the Boer War he did garrison duty at Enniskillen and Londonderry before being sent to the front in South Africa when his battalion volunteered for overseas service.  His service during the campaign there was recognised by the award of the King Edward Medal with three clasps.  Before the Great War he was employed at Messrs. Hull and Annetts and was well known in local football and sports circles.  He re-enlisted at Lisburn in June 1915 and served in CR (4410) before transferring to 8 RIrF (20979).  KIA in France on the 26.4.16 aged 39, his death is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, France, panel 124.  He was the son of Henry and Martha O’Neill and husband of Margaret O’Neill of 4 Stewart’s Court, Lisburn, and Chapel Hill, Lisburn.  He had three small children, the oldest of whom was five at the time of their father’s death.

ORR, Rifleman John.  Born in Charlemont, Co. Armagh, he lived in Dunmurry, enlisted at Lisburn and served in 1 RIR (13541).  KIA in France “during an enemy bombardment” on the 8.2.17 age 20, he is buried in the Guards’ Cemetery, Combles, Somme, France, plot 2, row A, grave 12.  The headstone inscription reads, “Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life.  Rev 2.10”.  He was the son of Frank and Sarah Orr of Poleglass, Dunmurry.

ORR, Rifleman Richard.    Born in Lisburn, he lived at Barnsley’s Row in the town.  He was well known in local football circles and was a playing member of Lisburn United F.C.  After enlisting at Lisburn he served in 6 RIR (5380) and was severely wounded in the head in France in the Winter of 1915.  After recovering, he was posted to Salonica in August 1916.  He DoW there on the 1.10.16 and is buried in Lahana Military Cemetery, Greece, plot 1, row B, grave 10.  He was the son of the late John Orr and the husband of Mrs. Orr of 24 Barnsley’s Row, Lisburn.  On the 6.10.17 she had the following poem inserted along with an In Memoriam notice in the Herald.  “Across the sea my thoughts do wander, To that lonely grave so far away, Where they laid my dearest husband, Just one year ago to-day.  He lies by the side of his comrades, In a heroes grave unknown; But his memory will live for ever, In the hearts he has left at home.  Father, In Thy gracious keeping, Leave we now our soldier daddy sleeping”.   Three brothers were also serving overseas.  John and Robert in France and David in Salonica.  John who was a Corporal in the RIR was wounded for the fourth time in August 1917.  He was a married man and his wife lived in Longstone Street.  Robert Orr (below) was KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17.  Their aunt, Mrs. Mary McCourt, lived at 58 Longstone Street, Lisburn.

ORR, Rifleman Robert James.  Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 11 RIR (15721) embarking with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Wounded in September 1916 and subsequently KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 aged 23, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140.  He was the son of the late John Orr and Mrs. Orr of Longstone Street, Lisburn.  Three brothers were (or had also been) serving overseas.  John in France and Richard and David in Salonica.  John who was a Corporal in the RIR was wounded for the fourth time in August 1917.  He was a married man and his wife lived in Longstone Street.  Richard (above) had DoW in Salonica on the 1.10.16. Their aunt, Mrs. Mary McCourt of 58 Longstone Street, Lisburn, inserted the following poem in the Herald on the 1 September 1917 following Robert’s death.  “I can picture happy gatherings, Round the fireside long ago, And I can think of a tearful parting, When he left us here below.  He leaves behind some aching hearts, that loved him ever dear; Hearts that never shall forget, His memory written here”.

ORR, Sergeant William.  Born in Ballymacarrett, Co. Down, he was a member of the UVF and Maze Masonic Lodge.  He enlisted in Belfast and served in 10 RIR (432).  KIA in Belgium on the 4.8.17 age 40 his death is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Ypres, Belgium, panel 40.  He was the son of Alexander and Sarah Orr and husband of Robina Orr of 33 Belvoir Street, Belfast.

 

PARK, Rifleman John H.  Served in 6 RIR (6111275) before transferring to 960 Company LC (486034).  He died in Greece on the 26.11.18 and is buried in Kirechkoi-Hortakoi Military Cemetery, Greece, grave 502.  He was the husband of Mary Park of 37 Young Street, Lisburn.

PARKER, Rifleman Robert John.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 15 RIR (10/15758).  KIA in France on the 19.8.18 aged 24, he is buried in Bertenacre Military Cemetery, France, plot 1, row E, grave 2.  The headstone inscription reads, “Till he comes”.  He was the son of Margaret Parker of 11 City Street, Belfast, and the late John Parker.

PATTERSON, Sergeant J.  Served in the 14 NF (35006).  He died at “home” on the 22.10.20 and is buried in Lisburn Cemetery, old section D, grave 177.  The headstone inscription reads, “At the rivers crystal brink Christ shall join each broken link”..  He was the husband of Matilda Patterson of 88 Tates Avenue, Belfast.

PATTERSON, Rifleman Robert.  Born in Purdysburn, Co. Down, he lived in Belfast, enlisted at Comber, Co. Down and served in 13 RIR (18613).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.

PATTERSON, Rifleman Robert.  Born and living in Crumlin, Co. Antrim, he was a member of the Orange Order in Glenavy.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in 11 RIR (16922) embarking with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Reported missing and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.

 

PATTERSON, Private Samuel.  Born in Saintfield, Co. Down, he lived at Boardmills, enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RIrF (8229).  KIA in Belgium on the 25.4.15, his death is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, panel 42.

PATTERSON, Rifleman Samuel M.  Born, living in and enlisted at Lisburn, he served in A Company 11 RIR (18610) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Reported wounded in late August/early September 1916, he was KIA in Belgium on the 8.8.17 aged 39.  His death is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium, panel 40.  He was the eldest son of the late Rainey Patterson who, according to the Herald, “was well known in the pork trade”, and Mary Ann Patterson of 26 Old Hillsborough Road, Lisburn.  In a letter to his mother, Second Lieutenant Davidson wrote, “As his platoon officer I feel his loss not only as a gallant soldier, but because of the comradeship that existed between all of us.  He was killed by a shell that fell in the trench where he was standing.  He will be greatly missed by his companions as well as myself, as he had always a cheery word for everyone.  He died as a soldier with his face towards the enemy in the cause of Right against Might”.  His brother Private John Patterson served in the RInF and in August 1917, was in hospital as a result of wounds received in action.  He had to have one of his toes amputated.

PATTERSON, Private William.  Born in Hillsborough, he lived in Portadown, enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RIrF (18610).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.

PATTERSON, Rifleman William.  Born in Lisburn, he lived on the Belsize Road in the town, enlisted at Belfast and served in B Company 11 RIR (16932) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Reported MIA on the 16 July 1916 and subsequently, in May or June 1917, confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1 July 1916, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the second son of W.J and Jane Patterson “late” of the Belsize Road and (by July 1919) of 5 Wilson Street, Low Road, Lisburn.  His death was remembered by them in the Herald for 5 July 1919.  He had two brothers, James and Thomas.

PATTON, Rifleman William.  Born and living in Lisburn, he belonged to F Company of the Lisburn battalion of the UVF before enlisting in the army at Carrickfergus.  He was one of a draft from 5 RIR who, “went out to replace the wastage in the 1^st. battalion at the front” and served in 1 RIR (5529).  According to the Standard he DoW in France on the 24.4.15 as a result of wounds received at “Feaux Bax.”  In a letter sent to his father from Lance Corporal McCallum a friend of William Patton junior, “everything possible was done for Rifleman Patton, who faced death like the gallant soldier he was.”  Buried in “Y” Farm Military Cemetery, Bois-Grenier, France, row L, grave 39, the same cemetery as W.C. Pews (below), he was the son of  William Patton of Longstone Street, Lisburn.  His two brothers Sergeant James Patton, wounded on the 1.7.16 and Rifleman Daniel Patton, wounded on the 19^th August? 1916 both served in 11 RIR.  Both appear to have survived the war.

PAYNE, Rifleman Henry.  Born in Armagh, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted in Belfast and served in D Company 9 RIR (958).  Reported wounded and missing in late August/early September and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 2.7.16 age 18, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.  He was the son of William Payne of 13 Vistula Street, Belfast.

 

PEEL, Private Mark DCM.  Born in Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Glasgow and served in 1 (Cameronians) SR (201300).  He DoW in France on the 26.10.18 age 24 and is buried in Awoingt British Cemetery, Nord, France, plot 1, row G, grave 28.  He was the son of Joseph Peel of Pond Park, Lisburn.  Awoingt is about 3 kilometres east-south-east of Cambrai.

PEGG Private J.J.  Served in the RAOC (043803).  He died at “home” on the 22.6.20 age 44 and is buried in Lambeg Church of Ireland graveyard, grave 187.  The headstone inscription reads, “We cannot Lord thy purpose see but all is well thats done by thee”.  He was the husband of Catherine Pegg of 20 Hilden View, Tullynacross, Lambeg.

PELAN, Private Christopher (Chris).  Born in and enlisted at Lisburn, he served in 1 RInF (10359).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 22.5.15 aged 30, his death is commemorated on the Special Memorial, Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery, Gallipoli, group C, Number 266.  He was the son of William Pelan of Lisburn.

PELAN, Rifleman John.  Born in Blaris, Co. Antrim, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Hollywood and served in 1 RIR (6033).  He died a PoW in Germany on the 31.12.17 and is buried in Hamburg Cemetery, Ohlsdorf, Germany, plot 4, row A, grave 7.

PENTLAND, Sergeant Joseph.  Born in Donaghcloney, he lived in Hillsborough.  Before the Great War he had served with the Gordon Highlanders for ten years and fought with them during the Boer War.  Subsequently posted to India, where he developed sunstroke, he was invalided home and pensioned off.  A drill instructor in the UVF in Hillsborough, he re-enlisted as a drill instructor in the army at Belfast on the outbreak of war in 1914.  He later volunteered for foreign service and was posted to 6 RIrF (12450).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 15.8.15 aged 35, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 178 – 180.  He was the husband of Agnes Graham Pentland of Lisburn Street, Hillsborough, Co. Down.  At the time of his death he had two brothers serving in the army in France.

PEWS, Rifleman Robert S.  Born in Omagh, he enlisted at Lisburn, and served in 6 RIR (11150).  Initially reported missing, he was eventually confirmed as KIA in Gallipoli on the 10.8.15, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 177-8.  He was the son of Mrs. S. Pews of 31 Gregg Street, Lisburn and brother of William George Pews, below.  Official confirmation of his death was only received by his mother late in 1916 or in early January 1917.  His mother and Maria Gorman had the following poem to him inserted in the Standard on the 19.1.17.  “In the lonely hours of midnight, When there is no sleep for me, My breaking heart goes to those graves, So far across the seas.  They died for home and country, What more could they have done? In a hero’s grave in a far off land, lies my darling, noble son”.  Her only surviving, and eldest son, was living in the United States at the time.

PEWS, Rifleman William George.  Born in Omagh, he enlisted at Lisburn and may have been a reservist in 5 RIR.  Serving in 2 RIR (5203) he was KIA in France on the 29.7.15 and is buried in “Y” Farm Military Cemetery, Bois-Grenier, France, row K, grave 34, the same cemetery as Rm. W. Patton, above.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of Mrs. S. Pews of 31 Gregg Street, Lisburn and brother of Robert Pews, above.  Mrs. Pew’s only surviving, and eldest son, was living in the United States.

PHILLIPS, Rifleman John.  Born and living in Ballylesson, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RIR (9558).  He DoW in France on the 24.3.18 and is buried in Noyon New British Cemetery, Oise, France, plot 2, row D, grave 7.  He was the son of Matthew J. and Elizabeth Phillips of Forth Road., Ballylesson, Belfast.

PHILLIPS Rifleman Thomas.  Born in Purdysburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 12 RIR (15/9244).  He died as a PoW in Germany on the 20.7.18 age 22 and is buried in Berlin South-Western Cemetery, Berlin, Brandenburg, Germany, plot 10, row D, grave 5.  He was the son of Thomas Phillips of 2 Mill Street, Whiteabbey, Co. Antrim.

 

PHILLIPS, Rifleman Thomas.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Larne and served in 1st Garrison battalion RIR (G/1187).  He died in India on the 10.12.17 and his death is commemorated on the Madras Memorial, India, face 23.

PHILPOTT, Private George Henry.  Lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Portsmouth and served in 15 HR (15766).  He DoW on the Somme on the 21.9.16 and is buried in Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-L’Abbe, Somme, France, plot 4, row E, grave 73 in the same grave as Corporal W. Jeffrey of the Rifle Brigade who died on the 22.9.16.  Most graves in this row and many others have two casualties each. There is no headstone inscription.  Mericourt-L’Abbe village is approximately 10 kilometres south-west of Albert with Heilly Station Cemetery 2 kilometres south-west of Mericourt-l’Abbe, close to the railway line.  According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, “The burials in this cemetery were carried out under extreme pressure and many of the graves are either too close together to be marked individually, or they contain multiple burials.  Some headstones carry as many as three sets of casualty details, and in these cases, regimental badges have had to be omitted.  Instead, these badges, 117 in all, have been carved on a cloister wall on the north side of the cemetery”.

 

PHILPOTT, Private Thomas Henry.  Born in Lisburn on the 30.6.1894 he may have lived in Cabra, (north of Annahilt and south east of Hillsborough) before emigrating to Canada.  A cabinet maker by trade, he lived at 4 Clarence Square, Toronto and it was at the recruiting depot there that he enlisted on the 29.11.1915 aged 21 years and 5 months.  A single man and member of the Malitia (48^th Highlanders Guard) for six months prior to enlisting, he was passed fit for overseas service the same day.  5’ 8¾“ tall, he had a 39“ chest (fully expanded) with 4“ range of expansion, fresh complexion, blue eyes and red hair.  Posted to 42 CI, QR (192419) he was KIA in France on the 9.4.17 aged 22 and is buried in La Chaudiere Military Cemetery, Vimy, France, plot 7, row D, grave 2.  He was the third son of James and Charlotte Philpott of Ballymacash, Lisburn.  A poem inserted by them in the Herald on the 5 May 1917 read, “For King and Country well he stood, Unknown to cowards fears, With a manly heart he did his part, With the Canadian Highlanders”.  Three of his cousins also served in the forces.

POOTES, Private Robert.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Belfast, enlisted at Ballykinlar and served in 1 RInF (9472).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 21.8.15, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 97-101.  He was the son of Robert Pootes of 43 Pernau Street, Belfast.

PORTER, Corporal Robert.  Born in Lisburn and living at East Down View on the Low Road, he was a reservist with nine years service and a member of the UVF.  Employed at the Ulster Docks in Belfast, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 14 RIR (4698) as servant to Lieutenant Colonel McCammond before he (McCammond) went to the front.  KIA in Belgium in his first action on the 15.8.17, he had only been posted to the front five weeks before his death which is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium, panel 40.  He was the eldest son of the late William John Porter of Ballinderry.  Father of two small children and husband of Maggie Porter of 16 East Down View, Low Road, Lisburn, his stepfather and brother-in-law also served.  His mother, brothers and sisters lived at 40 Grove Street, Low Road, Lisburn.  On the 8 September 1917 Maggie Porter included the following poem along with his death notice in the Herald.  “Oh! Husband beloved: Oh! best and dearest, I cry in vain for thee; No more I’ll clasp thy loving hand, No more thy loved form see.  Some day, some time, my eyes shall see, That face I loved so well; Some day I’ll clasp his loving hand, And never say farewell”.

POTTER, Private George.  Born in Moira, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RIrF (5923).  KIA on the Somme on the 8.9.15 age 48, he is buried in Sucrerie Military Cemetery, Colincamps, France, plot 2, row A, grave 6. There is no headstone inscription.  He was the husband of Bridget E. Potter of Church Street, Keady, Co. Armagh.

 

PROCTOR, Gunner John William.  Served in 164 Siege Battery RGA (169823).  He died at “home” on the 31.7.19 age 30 and is buried in Drumbo Presbyterian Churchyard, grave 216.  He was the husband of Lily Proctor of  “Rea Anna”, Marlborough Park, Belfast.

PURDY, Rifleman Samuel.  Born in Shankill Co. Antrim, he lived in Canal Street, Lisburn, and before the war, was employed at the Queen’s Island shipbuilding yard in Belfast and was a member of Bateson’s True Blues LOL 1925 and the UVF.  He enlisted in the town and served in 11 RIR (18643) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA in Belgium on the 16 August 1917 aged 27, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140.  He was the eldest son of the late James Henry Purdy and Margaret Purdy of 22 Canal Street, Lisburn.  On the 8 September 1917 she included the following poem along with his death notice in the Herald.  “Now the labourer’s task is o’er, Now the battle day is past: Now upon the farther shore, Lands the voyager at last.  Father, in Thy gracious keeping, Leave we now our loved one sleeping”.  In a letter to Mrs. Purdy, Second Lieutenant W.A.P. Wilson wrote, “As your son was my orderly since I came to the Battalion, I feel I must write you a line to tell you how sorry I am at your loss.  He was killed during the advance against the Germans on the 16^th August, and had been at my side up to the time he was hit.  He had been with me all through the battle of Messines, and wherever I went he was always with me.  In his death we have lost a good soldier, and, for myself, a good servant.  I am deeply grieved at his death.  He died a soldier’s death in a good cause”.  His sister and brother-in-law Maggie and Fred McWilliams, and sister and niece Sarah and Maggie Lamont all lived at 48 Canal Street, Lisburn.  Sarah and her daughter Maggie were the wife and daughter of William Lamont who was KIA on the 1 September 1916.  She was later to re-marry (see above).  On the second anniversary of his death Margaret Purdy once again rememberd her son’s death in the Herald.  “Blessed hope that in Jesus is given In our sorrow to cheer and sustain, That soon with our saviour in heaven We shall meet with our loved ones again”.  So too did Sarah and Maggie Lamont.  “Too far away thy grave to see, But not too far to think of thee”.

QUINN, Rifleman Alexander.  Born in Killyleagh, Co. Down, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Downpatrick and served in 12 RIR (18651).  KIA in Belgium on the 25.4.18 aged 24 he is buried in Dulhallow ADS Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium, plot 7, row E, grave 8.  The headstone inscription reads, “Faithful unto death”.  He was the son of Alexander and Jane Quinn of Clea, Toy, Co. Down.  The Clea lakes are just north of Killyleagh.  The cemetery where he is buried took its name from a nearby dressing station believed to be named after a southern Irish hunt.

RAINEY, Rifleman Henry.  Born in Glasgow, he lived in Gregg Street, Lisburn, enlisted in the town and served in 11 RIR (18653) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Wounded in June or July 1917, he was reported wounded and missing, and subsequently KIA in France on the 29.3.18 while attached to the 22nd. Entrenching Battalion.  His death which is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France, panels 74-6 was not confirmed until the early summer of 1919 at which time his wife who lived with his two young sons at 109 Gregg Street, Lisburn remembered his passing in the Herald.  “We trust in the hour of his danger, His Saviour was close by his side”.

RAINEY, Private James.  A “native of Belfast” where he was born on the 29.2.1884, he may have lived in Dunmurry before emigrating to Canada where he worked as an iron moulder.  A single man, he belonged to the Malitia but had no other military experience when he enlisted at Winnipeg on the 24.10.1914 aged 30 years and 8 months.  Passed fit for overseas service the same day, he was 5’ 8” tall, had a 38” chest (fully expanded) with a 3” range of expansion, fair complexion, grey eyes, brown hair and a vaccination mark on his right arm.  Reported missing in September 1916 while serving in 27 CI MtbaR (71838), he was subsequently, in September or early October 1917, confirmed as having been killed on the Somme on the 15.9.16 age 32.  Buried in Courcelette British Cemetery, France, plot 2, row C, grave 21, he was the son of James and Margaret Rainey of 200 Donegal Road, Belfast and Glencoe, Dunmurry.  His aunt and uncle, Maggie and Robert Rainey lived at Taghnabrick, Lisburn.

 

RAMSEY, Rifleman John.  Born in Blaris, he lived at Young Street, Lisburn and was employed at Queen’s island.  Having enlisted at Lisburn he served in B Company 11 RIR (2197) and embarked with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Wounded on the Somme on the 1 July 1916 he DOW on the 13 July16 aged 27 and is buried in Lodge Hill Cemetery, Birmingham, Warwickshire, plot B 10, row 5, grave 52.  The only son of Jane and James Ramsey of 10 Old Hillsborough Road, Lisburn, at the time of his death his father was serving in India.   A notice published in the Herald on the 5 July 1919 read, “Ever remembered by his loving Father, Mother and Sisters”.

REA, CSM Robert Morrow.  Born in Lisburn, he lived and enlisted in Belfast, served originally in GG (7443), and was subsequently transferred to 17 KLR (26106).  KIA in France on the 27.6.16, he is buried in Cerisy-Gailly Military Cemetery, France,  plot 2, row K, grave 11.  There is no headstone inscription.

REDDICK, Rifleman Jonathan.  Born in Lisburn, before the war he was employed at William Barbour & Sons at Hilden.  A member of the UVF, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR (18667) with whom he may have embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA in France on the 2.12.17 aged 23, his death is commemorated on Memorial 3, Metz-en-Couture Communal Cemetery, British Extension, France.  There is no headstone inscription but the memorial records that he was buried in Metz-en-Couture British Cemetery No. 2 which was destroyed in later battles.  He was the only son of Mrs. Mary Reddick of 9 Longstone Street, Lisburn.  On the 22.12.17 she had the following poem included along with his death notice in the Herald.  “Somewhere in France my dearest son Lies in a soldier’s grave; The battle o’er, the victory won, He sleeps amongst the brave”.  In a letter to his mother, the his Chaplain wrote, “Early in the afternoon of the 2^nd [December] the battalion came under heavy shell fire, in the course of which your son was seriously wounded.  He was removed at once to a neighbouring Field Ambulance and died within a few hours.  I walked away from the funeral with his Company Officer and heard from him many expressions of sympathy and regret for the loss which the Company and Battalion had sustained that day.  Your son had been with the Battalion from the earliest days, and he will be greatly missed by officers and men”.  Samuel Brown (see above), who also served in 11 RIR and who died the same day, was killed, “by shrapnel through the heart”.

REID, Rifleman David.  Born in Blaris, Co. Antrim, he lived at Denleigh, Co. Down, enlisted at Lisburn and served in 1 RIR (8502).  He died in Malta on the 11.10.14 aged 25 and is buried in Pieta Military Cemetery, Malta, plot 2, row K, grave 11.  This would have been as 1 RIR were returning from their peacetime overseas posting before being sent to France.  They were in Aden on the 4.8.14, embarked for the UK on the 27.9.14 and landed at Liverpool on the 22.10.14.

REID, Rifleman David.  Born in Antrim, he lived in Mosside, Dunmurry, was a member of Derriaghy LOL 135, Derriaghy Flute Band and the South Antrim Battalion of the UVF.  He enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR (2198).  Reported missing and subsequently, in May or June 1917, confirmed as KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 19, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France Pier and Face 15 A and B.  He was the youngest son of the late William Reid of Mosside, Dunmurry.

REID, Private Joseph N.  Born in Glenavy, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 IG (436).  He died at “home” on the 20.2.15 age 39 and is buried in Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire, grave D 2600.  He was the son of William Nelson Reid and Annie Reid of Glenavy, and husband of Sarah Reid of 121 Argyle Street, Belfast.

REID, Corporal Richard.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RInF (8527).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 6.8.15, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, addenda panel.

REID, Private Robert.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RInF (8198).  He DoW in France on the 23.7.16 and is buried in Abbeville Communal Cemetery, France, plot 6, row A, grave 5.

REID, Private William.  A member of the Orange Order in Glenavy, he served in 11 RIR and embarked with them for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  His death is commemorated on the Memorial in Glenavy Orange Hall but there is no further trace.

 

RENNIX, Lance Corporal Edward.    Lived at Maryville Terrace, Dunmurry, enlisted at Lisburn, and served with B Company 11 RIR. He may have been wounded on the Somme on the 1.7.16 but survived and subsequently transferred to 12 RIR (2526).  Wounded in September 1916 and subsequently KIA in Belgium on the 13.4.18 age 32, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138 to 140 and 162 to 162A and 163A.  He was the son of Samuel and Mary A. Rennix of Ballsbridge, Dublin and husband of Mary Rennix of 3 Maryville Terrace, Dunmurry.

 

RICE, Private Joseph.  Born in Shankill, Belfast, he enlisted at Lisburn, and served in 6 RIrF (16974).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 15.8.15, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 178-180.  He was the husband of Mrs. Rice of 13 Island Row, Lisburn.

RICE, Rifleman Joseph.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RIR (8164).  KIA in France on the 26.10.14, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France.

RITCHIE, Private Alexander (Alex).  Born in Belfast on the 20.10.1886, he emigrated to Canada where he worked as a labourer.  A single man and member of the Malitia, although with no previous military experience, he enlisted at Hamilton, Ontario between the 14 and 16.4.1915 aged 28 years and 6 months.  5’ 5” tall, he had a 38“ chest (fully expanded) with a 4“ range of expansion, dark complexion, blue eyes and dark hair, three vaccination marks on his left arm and a tattoo on his right.  Passed fit for overseas service, he served in 18 CI, COR (406384).  KIA in Belgium on the 13.3.16 aged 32, he is buried in Ridge Wood Military Cemetery, Belgium, plot 2, row N, grave 3.  There is no headstone inscription.  This is the same cemetery as Joseph Mackell, above.  He was the son of Alexander and Margaret Ritchie.  His death is also commemorated on his parent’s headstone in Derriaghy parish church graveyard.  Alexander Ritchie died on the 31.1.03 aged 49, and his wife Margaret on the 8.1.22 aged 69.  At the time of Alex’s enlistment she was living at 50 Lagonael (Ligoniel?) Road, Belfast.  He was also a brother of Rifleman Benjamin Ritchie, below.  The family headstone also commemorates the deaths of Henry Ritchie who died on the 3.11.20 at Coatbridge, Scotland, aged 44; John Ritchie who died in Winnipeg, Canada; and Sarah Ritchie who died on the 7.2.51.  The inscription finishes, “Till the day breaks and the shadows flee away”.

RITCHIE, Rifleman Benjamin.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 15 RIR (13442).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 30. His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B and on his parent’s headstone in Derriaghy parish church graveyard.  He was the son of Alexander Ritchie who died on the 31.1.03 aged 49, and Margaret Ritchie who died on the 8.1.22 aged 69.  He was also brother of Private Alexander Ritchie, above.  In 1915, at the time of Alex’s enlistment Margaret Ritchie was living at 50 Lagonael (Ligoniel?) Road, Belfast.  The family headstone also commemorates the deaths of Henry Ritchie who died on the 3.11.20 at Coatbridge, Scotland, aged 44; John Ritchie who died in Winnipeg, Canada; and Sarah Ritchie who died on the 7.2.51.  The inscription finishes, “Till the day breaks and the shadows flee away”.

RITCHIE, Lance Corporal William.  Lived in Lisburn and was KIA.  His death is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Roll of Honour but there is no further trace.

ROBB Private Herbert Victor.  An Old Scholar of Friends’ School, Lisburn, he was born and enlisted in Edinburgh and served in 12 Royal Scots (33261).  KIA in Belgium on the 25.4.18 aged 22, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 11-14.  He was the son of Daniel and Ettie Robb of 83 Easter Road, Edinburgh.

ROBB  Rifleman William.  Born in Drumbeg, he enlisted at Hamilton Lanark and served in 1 RIR (11449).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.1.18 age 21, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium Panel 138 to 140 and 162 to 162A and 163A.  He was the son of Alexander and Jane Robb of 53 Watson’s Land, New Stevenston, Holytown, Lanarkshire.

ROBINSON, Rifleman William.  Born and living in Moira, Co. Down, he enlisted at Lisburn, possibly in 11 RIR with whom he may have embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Transferred to 12 RIR (2229) when 11 RIR were disbanded in 1917, he was KIA in Belgium on the 12.10.18 age 29 and is buried in Dadizeele Communal Cemetery, Belgium, plot 1, grave 1.  He was a nephew of Maggie Robinson of Trummery by Moira, Co. Down.

RODGERS, Rifleman William Henry.  Born and living in Dromara, Co. Down, he enlisted at Newtownards and served in 13 RIR (18703).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 23, he is buried in Serre Road Cemetery No. 1, France, plot 2, row AA, grave 11/13.  He was the son of Samuel and Jane Rodgers of Ardtanagh, Dromara, Co. Down.

ROGAN, Private Herbert John.  Born in and enlisted at Belfast he served in 6 (Perthshire Territorial Battalion) BW (Royal Highlanders) (2609).  KIA on the Somme on the 30.7.16 age 23, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 10 A.  He was the son of John and Catherine Rogan of 4 Victoria Terrace, Cregagh, Belfast and husband of Catherine Rogan (nee McCord) of Willow House, Trummery, Co. Down.

ROGAN, Private Robert S.  Commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial and on the memorial in Railway Street Presbyterian Church, there is no further positive trace.

ROGAN, Gunner William John.  Born in Lisburn, he served in B Battery 19^th Fire Command RGA (275546).  Having returned home on leave on the 8 January 1919, he died two days later on the 10^th, his body being found in bed at his brother’s house in Canal Street the following morning.  At an inquest held by Dr. Mussen at the Courthouse that afternoon, the jury concluded that, “death had been caused by heart failure, accelerated probably by the result of a wound and the hardships he experienced in the trenches where on one occasion he was buried by a shell explosion”.  William Rogan was 47 years of age.  The son of Joseph and Isabelle Rogan, he was buried in St. Malachi, (Church of Ireland) churchyard, Hillsborough.

ROONEY, Private Arthur.  Born in Lisburn on the 2.7.1879, he served in the Boer War and worked as a baker in John M’Watters of Belfast.  He emigrated to Canada about 1905 where he also worked as a baker.  He enlisted at Valcartier on the 22.9.1914 aged 35 years and 2 months and, according to his attestation papers had served in the RIR for 5½ years and been in the Irish Volunteers for 1½ years.  He was 5’ 4½” tall with a 36” chest (fully expanded) and a 3” range of expansion, dark complexion, blue eyes, dark hair and had a scar on his right chin.  Posted to the 2^nd Battalion of the 41^st Regiment, he served in 2 CI EOR 7900.  Initially reported missing, he was killed on the 22.4.15 aged 35 and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium, panel 10-26-28.  He was the son of Patrick and Mary Jane Rooney of 15 Antrim Street, Lisburn and presumably a brother of Henry Rooney, below.

ROONEY, Private Henry.  Having emigrated to Canada in about 1913, he served in 4 CI COR (402987).  Killed on the 26.4.16 aged 23, he is buried in Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium, row I, plot A, grave 24.  He was the son of Patrick and Mary Jane Rooney of 15 Antrim Street, Lisburn and presumably a brother of Arthur Rooney, above.  The Canadian National Archive have no record of a Henry Rooney who fits these details, however, they do have a Harry Joseph Rainey whose name on the first side of his attestation paper has been stroked out and replaced with Henry Rooney.  His service number is the same and, as he was born in Belfast on New Years Day 1893, (which would have made him 23 in 1916), his age fits.  With no previous military experience he enlisted at Guelph in Ontario (50 Km. west of Toronto) on the 13.3.1915 aged 22 and was passed fit for overseas service the same day.  A farm labourer by trade, he was 5’ 6½“ tall with a 36½“ chest (fully expanded) and a 3½“ range of expansion.  With a ruddy complexion, brown eyes and black hair he had scars on his right shoulder blade, on a middle finger, below his left knee and on his left cheek.  He also had a birth mark on his right shoulder blade and the letter H tattooed on his left forearm.  He gave his next of kin as P. Rainey, a brother, of 91 Brookfield Street, Belfast and his religion as Church of England.  Why Henry Rooney would want to serve under an assumed name is not known.  Neither is it clear why he should give his religion as Church of England while Arthur Rooney, his brother, was a Roman Catholic.

ROSS, Gunner Robert John.  Lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Belfast and served in B Battery 173rd. Brigade R.F.A. (L/35898).  Wounded in June or early July 1917, he was taken prisoner on the 21.3.18 he died of pneumonia, a PoW in a German hospital, on the 29.7.18 aged 20.  He is buried in Berlin South Western Cemetery, Stahnsdorf, Germany, plot 1, row D, grave 13.

RUSH, Corporal Josiah.  Born in Lisburn, he lived at Ballymullen, Lisburn, enlisted in the town and served in 2 RIR (5971).  Reported missing and subsequently KIA in Belgium on the 6.9.18 aged 19, he is buried in Wulverghem-Lindenhoek Road Military Cemetery, Belgium, plot 3, row G, grave 22.  The headstone inscription reads, “God is love”.  He was the son of Thomas and Agnes Rush of Ballymullan, Lisburn.  A year after his death his Aunt and Uncle, Sarah Jane and Thomas Armour, also from Ballymullan, remembered the passing of their nephew.  “His loss is deeply felt and sincerely mourned”.  Josiah Rush’s death was also commemorated by Thomas Armour on the family headstone in Hillhall Presbyterian churchyard.  He (Thomas) died on the 1.12.1932 and his wife Sarah Jane on the 1.06.1930.

RUSSELL, Driver Edmund.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2^nd Brigade RFA (38199).  He DoW in France on the 8.11.16 aged 34 and is buried in Grove Town Cemetery, Meaulte, France, plot 2, row C, grave 6.  The headstone inscription reads, “Peace, perfect peace”.  He was the husband of Elizabeth Russell of 40 Selby Street, Belfast.

RUSSELL, Private Thomas.  Born and enlisting in Lisburn, he had spent three years in the army in India and served in D Company 1 RInF (16103).  He DoW in Gallipoli on the 22.8.15 aged 18 and his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 97-101.  He was the son of Thomas and Mary Russell of Longstone Street, Lisburn, and younger brother of Rifleman William Russell who was KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, (see below).

RUSSELL, Rifleman William.  Born in Lisburn where he probably lived at 95 Longstone Street, he enlisted in the town and served in A Company 11 RIR (18714) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Reported MIA on the 16.7.16 and at one point believed to be a PoW in Germany, he was subsequently listed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 24.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the son of Thomas and Mary Russell of Longstone Street, Lisburn, and elder brother of Private Thomas Russell who DoW in Gallipoli on the 22.8.15, (see above).

SALLY, Rifleman Robert.  Born, living in and enlisted at Lisburn, he served in A Company 11 RIR (18734) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Listed as wounded and missing and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.

SCOTT, Rifleman Henry (Harry).  Born in and living in Ballycarrickmaddy, Magheragall, Co. Antrim and a member of Stoneyford LOL 1183, he enlisted at Lisburn, and served in B Company 11 RIR (11/3010) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Wounded on the Somme on the 1.7.16 he was subsequently KIA in Belgium on the 8.6.17 aged 26 and is buried in Lone Tree Cemetery, Spanbroekmolen, Belgium, plot 2, row A, grave 2.  The headstone inscription reads, “Ever remembered by his uncle David Scott”.  He was a nephew of David Scott of Ballynadolly, Upper Magheragall, Lisburn.  He had the following poem inserted along with a death notice in the Herald on the 28 July 1917.  “So ready to answer the call to the brave, Although you now rest in a far distant grave, What more or better could any man give, Than die for his country that others might live”.  Lone Tree Cemetery lies just below the Spanbroekmolen mine crater and contains the remains of many of those from the 36^th and 16^th Divisions killed by the fall-out from the mine which was blown 15 seconds late at the start of the attack on the Messines Ridge in June 1917.

SCOTT,  Second Lieutenant Herbert.  Before joining up he was employed at a Labour Exchange office in Blackpool.  After completing his training, he went to the front on the 1 August 1918 and served in 8 Squadron RAF.  Reported missing from the 23.8.18, three weeks after he arrived in France, he was subsequently confirmed as having died that day age 29. He is buried in Boyelles Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas de Calais, France, plot 2, row F, grave 2.  He was the eldest son of the late Joseph Scott of Bolton, who died in 1916 and Catherine Scott who died in March 1918.  He was also the grandson of Charles Scott and nephew of Miss Clara Scott both of Strawberry Hill, Lisburn.  She had received a letter the day before he was posted missing appointing her as his next of kin.  His brother Fred Scott had served in the RGA before transferring to the RAF in which he was serving as an officer at the time of Herbert Scott’s death.  He appears to have survived the war.  The village of Boyelles is about 11 kilometres south of Arras on the main road to Bapaume.

 

SCOTT, Rifleman Hugh.  Born and living in Dromara, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 3 RIR (24683).  He died at “home” on the 4.11.18 age 20 and is buried in Dromara Reform Presbyterian Churchyard, County Down, grave 9.  He was the son of James and Izabella Scott of Aughnaskeagh, Dromara.

SCOTT, Rifleman J.  Served in the RIR.  His death is commemorated on Glenavy War Memorial but there is no positive trace so far.

 

SCOTT, Rifleman James Herbert.  Born and living in Hillsborough, or Ballymurphy (south east of Annahilt), he enlisted at Belfast and served in 14 RIR (7235).  KIA in Belgium on the 7.6.17 aged 21, he is buried in Spanbroekmolen British Cemetery, Belgium, plot E, grave 4.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of John and M.J. Scott of Blackbridge, Hillsborough, Co. Down.

SCOTT, Private Richard.  Born in Suffolk, Dunmurry, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RInF (10089).  KIA in Belgium on the 1.11.14, his death is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium, panel 5.

SERGEANT, Rifleman Thomas Henry.  Born and living in Dromara, Co. Down, he enlisted at Banbridge and served in 13 RIR (498).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 18, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.  He was the son of Samuel and Margaret A. Sergeant of Drummarin, Gilford, Co. Down.

SEWELL, Rifleman Francis.  Born in and enlisted at Lisburn, he embarked for France from Bordon with A Company 11 RIR in October 1915.  Wounded at the Somme on the 1.7.16, he subsequently transferred to 12 RIR (6466) when 11 and 11/13 RIR were disbanded.  KIA on the Somme on the 21.3.18, his death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France.

SHARKEY Private Hugh.  Commemorated on Lisburn War memorial, there is no positive trace so far.

SHARKEY J.  Commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial, there is no positive trace so far.  However one possibility is that he served as John Devlin, although there is no obvious local connection.  He was born in Belfast and educated at Raglan Street School, he emigrated to Australia when he was 29 in about 1914.  He lived in Sydney, New South Wales, he was a hairdresser by profession and had served in 2 RIR.  He enlisted on the 5.5.15 and served in 1 AIF 2350.  Wounded at Gallipoli, he was KIA in France between the 5 and 8.5.17 age 32.  His death is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Somme, France.  He was the son of James and Jane Sharkey.  According to his brother William John Sharkey of 136 Tymond Street, Auckland, New Zealand who supplied the biographical details to the AWM, “He was one of Ireland’s greatest Gaelic footballers.”

SHARKEY Rifleman Patrick.  Born in Blaris, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 6 RIR (11436).  He DoW sustained in Gallipoli on the 30.8.15 and is buried in Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt, row F, grave 199.

SIMMS, Lieutenant Alfred George Francis.  Certificate for gallant conduct and devotion to duty.  An Old Scholar of Friends’ School, Lisburn, he served in 6 CR.  Reported missing believed drowned on the 30.12.17, his death is commemorated on the Chatby Memorial, in Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Memorial Cemetery, Alexandria Egypt.  According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission the Chatby memorial lists the names of those who have no known grave but the sea.  These were men who died at sea from sickness, wounds or accident on their way to or from Egypt, Gallipoli or Palestine and who were given the same burial as sailors who died at sea.

SIMPSON, Rifleman Joseph.  Born in Lambeg, he lived on the Low Road, Lisburn, enlisted in the town and served in 11 RIR (18764) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA in Belgium on the 1.9.16 aged 22, his death is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium, panel 40.  He was the son of John and Mary Simpson of Hilden, Lisburn.  A year after his death his passing was remembered in the Herald by his father and step-mother Lizzie Simpson.  Their address then was Richardson’s Row, Glenmore, Lisburn.  His brother and sister-in-law, Robert and Maggie Simpson, lived at 15 Wesley Street, Low Road while William Kerr his brother-in-law lived at Causway End, Lisburn.

SIMPSON, Private Richard.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in the RIR (193) before transferring to the Garrison battalion RIrF (G/1030).  He died at “home” on the 22.4.16 and is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, Section QA, grave 37.5.

SINCLAIR, Private Edward. DCM.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RInF (9318).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 1.7.15, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 97-101.

SINCLAIR, Private John Hamilton/Captain Jack.  Born in Lisburn between the 26 July 1879 and the 31 July 1880 he lived at Rosslyn the family home on the Antrim Road in Lisburn.  Educated at Campbell College, Belfast, where he went in September 1894, he was one of the earliest pupils – the 182^nd – to enter the College.  After leaving in July 1896 he went to work in the Ulster Bank, however, on the 13 December 1899 a decision was taken at the War Office in London which would change the course of Jack Sinclair’s life.  This was to allow a contingent of volunteer forces based on the standing Yeomanry regiments to serve against the Boers in South Africa.  Established through a Royal Warrant dated the 24 December 1899 the core of the new Imperial Yeomanry were to be men of existing Yeomanry units but the remainder could be recruited from individuals who volunteered.

On the 8 January 1900 Jack Sinclair and Holt Waring from Donaghcloney enlisted together at Newbridge.  They were amongst the first volunteers from Ulster to join 45^th Co Imperial Yeomanry, the “Irish Hunt contingent” led by the Earl of Longford.   JHS was 5’ 10¼” tall, weighed 139 lbs., and had a 31¼” to 33” chest.  Giving his religious denomination as “Other Protestants” he had a dark complexion, grey eyes and dark hair and had a scar on the left hand side of his neck.

New recruits had to be between the ages of 20 and 35, and were supposed to meet “the strict criteria laid down”. This included “satisfy[ing] the Colonel of the regiment through which they enlist that they are good riders and marksmen, according to the Yeomanry standard”.  Jack Sinclair was 20 and Waring a couple of years older, however, neither had any previous military experience.  As a landowner and a member of the landed gentry it is quite probable that Waring had the necessary skills but as a “banker” it is equally probable that Jack Sinclair did not.  If he didn’t, he was not alone for while the original contingents of the IY were “an amazing collection of individuals who were generally socially superior to the men of the regular army” the “standard of troops raised … tended to vary considerably.  The regulation … [that] men be … able to both ride and shoot proficiently was prone to a certain ‘slippage’ … . This meant that some men arriving in South Africa had minimum horsemanship skills. … even more … were poor marksmen.”

Troopers 9642 J.H. Sinclair and 9604 H. Waring served at home for nine weeks before embarking for (or arriving in) South Africa on the 12 March.  There, their Company became part of the 13 Battalion which also included the Duke of Cambridge’s Own and two other Irish companies.  “The D.C.O. had been nicknamed the ‘Millionaires’ Own’ because of the number of hugely wealthy men in it’s ranks and the Irish companies contained large amounts of money and title from the landed families of Dublin and Belfast”.  Within a few months of arriving in South Africa the 13 Battalion were to find out that on the veldt social status counted for little.

Towards the end of May 1900 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Basil Spragge, they were ordered to join the 9th Division under Colonel Colvile at Kroonstad.  However, because of a mix up in communication the battalion instead headed for the town of Lindley.  They arrived there on the afternoon of the 27^th and were shocked to find that it was not Colvile but a large contingent of the enemy that met them.  Spragge decided to hold his ground in a group of hills to the north west of Lindley and await help, messages were sent “but the manner of the message did not contain the tone of urgency that the situation required”, consequently no plan to assist the battalion was put into operation until it was too late.

For Spragge and his men the situation was difficult, they were surrounded by a far more numerous enemy, “but for the first three days held their own during which they had been simply exposed to along-range rifle fire which inflicted no very serious loss upon them. Their principal defence consisted of a stone kraal about twenty yards square, which sheltered them from rifle bullets, but must obviously be a perfect death-trap in the not improbable event of the Boers sending for artillery”.  Writing in the currency of the time Conan Doyle observed that, “the spirit of the troopers was admirable.  Several dashing sorties were carried out under the leadership of Captain Humby and Lord Longford.  The latter was a particularly dashing business, ending in a bayonet charge which cleared a neighbouring ridge”.  But the situation was to get rapidly worse.  On the 29th the improbable happened – the Boers brought up artillery.

By the morning of the 31^st the situation had become almost untenable and the final outcome was sealed when the party of the 47th Company commanding a critical position surrendered.  With no chance of holding out, Spragge surrendered at around half past two in the afternoon.  The yeoman had lost 2 officers and 19 men killed or died of wounds with somewhere in the region of 60 wounded.  In addition the Boers captured over 400 men including Spragge, Lord Longford, who had been wounded, Lords Ennismore, Leitrim, and Donoughmore and the future Lord Craigavon. Among the ‘other ranks’, they also had Jack Sinclair.  He and the other prisoners were marched away northwards to the eastern Transvaal.

Fortunately the Boers were not able to properly look after them and some time in the second half of July, “the Freestaters were compelled to deliver up in Natal the prisoners whom they had taken at Lindley and Roodeval. These men, a ragged and starving battalion, emerged at Ladysmith, having made their way through Van Reenen’s Pass”.  Significantly “no parole appears … to have been exacted by the Boers” which meant that Jack Sinclair was able to resume his military career.  When 45IY were sent home in February 1901 he decided to stay.  At McKenzie’s Farm, Maitland where the Army had its base Camp five miles outside Cape Town, he was discharged at his own request.  According to his service record Jack Sinclair had no “qualifications for employment in civil life” or “certificate of education” but his conduct and character had been “very good” and like many others in the demoralised IY who had resigned he was able to find gainful employment in the military. Serving with the Western Province Mounted Rifles to September 1901 he then moved on to the Field Intelligence Department until the 25 March 1902 when he was commissioned as a Lieutenant with the 107^th Co Imperial Yeomanry (Lanarks).  By that time the war had only two more months to run although he continued to serve with the Lanarks until September or October 1902.

According to subsequent reports published at home a serious accident had cut short his military career in South Africa by which time he had been mentioned in dispatches and risen to the rank of Captain.  When he recovered from the effects of his injury, he emigrated to Canada where, according to the Lisburn Standard, he went into business as a horse rancher.  He also “had practical experience in railroad construction, telephone construction, road-making, irrigation and drainage” as well as joining Strathcona’s Horse in 1908 and the 16^th Light Horse in 1910.  Sometime after this he moved south and by 1913 was in Texas where he did some scouting for the 13^th U.S. Cavalry.

By 1914 Jack Sinclair had crossed the state line into New Mexico and it was there that news of the outbreak of War reached him at the end of August.  “He promptly traveled … 3000 miles at his own expense” to Port Arthur, Canada, the nearest British Military Station he could reach.  There, at Bustard Camp on the 22 October 1914 aged 35 or thereabouts, and giving his profession as “lawyer”, he resumed his military career, enlisting in the 96^th Lake Superior Regiment as a private.

The same day, despite his previous injuries, he was passed fit for overseas service, the medical officer who examined him, Captain Conrad G. Geggie CAMC, only noting that he had three scars on the left hand side of his neck the signs of an injury he had sustained even before he had enlisted to fight in South Africa.  Still a single man, he was, according to the Canadian authorities, 5’ 8½” tall – nearly 2” less than he had been when he enlisted in the Imperial Yeomanry fourteen years earlier, had a 33½” chest (fully expanded) with a 2½” range of expansion, a fresh complexion, light blue eyes and light brown hair.  Chosen with fourteen others to proceed to England with the Machine-Guns unit to which he had been attached, 45649 Private John Hamilton Sinclair, banker, commissioned officer in the Imperial Yeomanry, rancher, construction worker, cavalry scout and “lawyer” was amongst the first Canadian troops to sail for Europe.

Meanwhile, the military authorities in London had not forgotten about him.  On the outbreak of hostilities the War Office had dispatched his call-up papers No 112/Gen No. 2938/M.S.I. ordering him home for further service.  However, these had gone to his address in Canada and had to be returned to England before they finally reached him at Salisbury Plain.  “I at once carried out the instructions contained in the letter and reported to the O.C. 3rd Battⁿ Scottish Rifles and found that I was posted to the 12^th Battalion”.  Thus it was that on the 1 March 1915, Private Sinclair was gazetted into the Cameronians as a Lieutenant.

At this point Jack Sinclair’s career took a turn for the worse.  Not that the readers of the News Letter or Lisburn Standard would have been aware of it.  For them, the story of his life was presented as “one of the romances of the war”.  According to the report that they published he had “made application after application to proceed to the front.”  These, claimed the local papers, were refused on the grounds that his injury in South Africa had rendered him unfit for active service.  His response was to resign his commission and re-enlist as a private in 2 ASH (S/16657).  As a soldier of more humble rank he had greater success persuading the doctors to agree to his request, and sometime early in 1915 he was posted to France.

Jack Sinclair had resigned his commission as the London Gazette reported on the 29 June, but the circumstances in which it had happened were not quite those described in the local press.  Reading his service record, it is little wonder that at the time, “few were aware that Captain Sinclair was at the front and fighting as a private”.

Things seem to have gone wrong from an early stage.  The 12 battalion of the Scottish Rifles to which he had been posted were stationed at Tain in Ross-shire.  Instead of traveling south to France he found himself traveling north to the Highlands of Scotland, a dozen miles on the wrong side of Invergordon. There, on the 1 March 1915 the OC 12 SR, Colonel W.C. Anderson, wrote to the OC 101 Infantry Brigade (Brigadier General S.B. Jameson ) reporting that, “J. Hamilton Sinclair, 12^th Scottish Rifles is unlikely to become a desirable holder of His Majesty’s Commission.  On two occasions I have had to speak to him severely on account of his intemperance, and now his conduct in the public streets, viz attending a Masonic funeral wearing the insignia of a Masonic lodge on his uniform and with a drawn sword at the slope compels me to bring the matter to your notice, with the recommendation that his commission be cancelled.  Apart from the instances mentioned before his manner and general behaviour is a bad example to the younger officers”.

Two days later on the 3 March the OC 101 Brigade Brigadier General S.B. Jameson wrote to the GOC Cromarty Garrison recommending “that this officer be called upon to resign his commission.  I have interviewed him in the presence of his Commanding Officer, and I am of opinion that he is not at all suitable as an officer, and I have informed him … .”  Things got worse.  On the 16 March the Assistant Adjutant of 12 SR, Capt. J.K. Baker wrote to the OC 12 SR.  “With reference to my several previous verbal communications concerning the conduct of Lieut. J.H. Sinclair, I regret to have again to call your attention to the behaviour of this Officer, he has been absent from parade once more, this morning.  Lieut. Sinclair evidently has no respect for the good name of the Regiment and the uniform he wears; he is a very bad example to the large number of subalterns in the battalion, and moreover having him in the battalion increases the responsibilities placed upon me”.

The same day, Major M.T. Carmichael 12 RS wrote to the OC 101 Infantry Brigade (Jameson) presumably on behalf of Col. Anderson, “request[ing] that if possible he may be called upon to resign his commission, or failing his a[c]quiescence in this course, that a Medical Board may be convened to enquire as to his fitness for continuance in the service.  He is continually applying for leave, or absenting himself from parades owing to disability”.  In support of his request, Carmichael included the Assistant Adjutant’s letter and a medical “report” from Dr. Eneas K. Mackenzie, Shandwick House, Tain the M.O. in charge of the camp(s) there, reporting that JHS “has a generally impaired constitution, and is physically unfit, in my opinion, to become an efficient soldier”.

By the 22 March the reports on JHS had made their way from Brigadier General S.B. Jameson (OC 101 Brigade at Invergordon) through the Garrison Commander, Cromarty (Major General W. H. Blair) to HQ Scottish Command in Edinburgh where the CinC (Major General Ewart) recommended that “this officer be called upon to resign his commission with the alternative of removal. … I was not inclined to attribute too much importance to the Masonic funeral incident, but he appears to be unsuitable as an officer and intemperate”.

Four days later on the 26 March, JHS’s file was at the War Office in London where F.C. Beatson the DPS? wired the GOC in C requesting “any statement Lt. Sinclair wishes to make … be forwarded”.  On the 30 March JHS wrote to the OC 12 SR.  “I exceedingly regret the strictures passed on my recent conduct by Colonel Anderson D.S.O.  I am pulling myself together and I do not think that you will have any occasion to find fault with me in future”.  The authorities were not impressed.  On the 5 April with the statement and Doctor’s report now to hand, Beatson commented, “Having regard to the medical opinion on the state of this officer’s health it hardly seems any use giving him another chance”.  Things did not look good.  However, “before deciding” Beaston went on, “it would be wise[?] to have him examined by a M[edical] Board.  Send a copy of medical certificates to the GOC in C and request that Lieut. Sinclair be examined by a Med[ical] Board and a copy of the proceedings forwarded as early as possible”.

A week later the Board conveyed their opinion to the War Office.  It was not what the authorities seem to have been expecting.  JHS was, they concluded, fit for general service.  The Army Council now faced a dilemma.  With no medical grounds for dismissal, did they proceed with Jack Sinclair’s removal or did they back down? On the 22 April having given “careful consideration to the case” they transmitted their decision to the GOC, Scottish Command in Edinburgh, “this officer … is to be afforded another opportunity of proving that he is worthy of holding His Majesty’s commission”.  However, there was a proviso attached – “you will be good enough to direct that he be seriously spoken to with regard to his conduct and warned of the consequences that must inevitably follow any repetition of it”.

The Medical Board route may have been seen as a convenient mechanism for securing his removal.  This was most obvious at ‘the local’ level amongst his immediate superiors who seem to have been the keenest to get rid of him.  Dr. Mackenzie the MO, who presumably was aware of what had been going on, appears to have been perfectly willing to support the battalion commander and write a ‘suitably unsuitable’ comment.  However, even Beatson at the War Office would not it seems have been terribly disappointed if the Medical Board had pronounced him unfit.  But they hadn’t.  Perhaps they were not personally familiar with the case, and, presumably with the object of their scrutiny being on his best behaviour, they may have been more balanced in their assessment of his physical capability.  Once they reported it was maybe easier for the authorities to offer Sinclair another chance rather than have him dismissed.  To do so without a suitable ‘excuse’ could have been embarrassing.  It would have been an implied admission that one of their own had ‘failed’ and that the army had ‘made a mistake’ by commissioning him in the first place.  But clearly this was not just about having an excuse, nor was it just that Jack Sinclair had rubbed people up the wrong way and broken the social conventions of the day.  As an older officer he had set a bad example and been guilty of serious misbehaviour.  This was not what the army expected from its officers, nor would it go on tolerating it.  Even the culprit had not tried to excuse himself.

The army had made it clear to Jack Sinclair what his fate would be if he failed to tow the line and for a time his conduct improved.  However, it didn’t last.  By the beginning of May he was attending a musketry course run by the 13 Reserve Infantry Brigade.  “For the week ending Saturday, 8^th inst, he was regular in his attendance and fairly punctual” noted the Brigade Musketry Officer, Lt. Little, and, “I had only occasion twice to check him for being late”.  On the 10 May, however, he failed to turn up for the morning session.  Lt. Little, with whom he had had “several arguments” (see below) wrote to the CO 12 SR, Lt. Colonel C.R. Griffiths at Tain.  “J. H. Sinclair stated to me this morning that he wished to give up the Musketry class.  He gave as his reason that “I knew” he could never be an instructor.  I told him that he must report to your adjutant and if the adjutant agreed to let him off I had no objections.  In the course of conversation it was mentioned by[?] me that he was not able to do the work of the class and could never become an instructor, and the reason why.  I have further to report that all the time he has been with me he has, so far as I could see, done no study whatever, and also he has no knowledge of the practical work.  This has been caused entirely by his own fault”.

Exactly what Little meant by this final comment soon become all too clear.  The following day Lt. Colonel Griffiths, wrote to him asking for more detail.  As well as enquiring further about JHS’ attendance and punctuality, he wanted to know, “whether you assign any special reason for this officer’s failure.  … Has he shown zeal or desire to improve his lack of knowledge?  Do you consider from your experience that there is any prospect of his acquiring sufficient knowledge – in a reasonable time, to enable him to command a platoon efficiently in the field, or to be of any value as an instructor?”

Little’s reply was damning. “In my opinion the reason for this officer’s failure to take an intelligent interest in the class work arises from his past and present over-indulgence in intoxicants.  He has so over-indulged that his mind seems to be now in such a “muddled” state, that he is not in a condition mentally to understand the instructions”.  As to the prospect of his commanding a platoon efficiently, “Practically none.  He was not in a condition physically to do so”, or being of any value as an instructor?  The answer was hardly equivocal –  “absolutely none”.

Griffiths also decided to go down to the musketry range to have a look for himself.  What he found was nothing short of disastrous.  Jack Sinclair had turned up an hour late, the excuse given being that he had over-slept.  Even worse, Griffiths had discovered him, “so under the influence of drink that there was no alternative but to order him to his quarters and suspend him from duty”.

The next day, the 12 May, JHS wrote to his CO in an attempt to defend himself.  “In answer to the report sent to you by the instructor of Musketry I can only say that I have already had three courses of instruction in musketry.  Each instructor has different methods of teaching.  The result is that I became confused and had several arguments with Mr. Little which he considered stupid”.

At the same time Griffiths reported to his superiors outlining what he had seen and heard.  Given what had previously transpired, his conclusion was hardly surprising.  “I have done all in my power to induce this Officer to amend, but there does not appear to be any reasonable prospect of his acquiring the necessary qualifications for leading troops either at home or in the field, and as his example cannot but have the worst possible effect upon the young officers of the Battalion, I am strongly of opinion that his removal would be beneficial”.

All the way up the chain of command the attitude was the same.  “This officer is quite unfit to hold a commission”.  “This officer has been warned repeatedly and given every opportunity to improve himself”.  “I recommend that Lieut. J. H. Sinclair’s Commission be cancelled”.  On the 25 May the War Office wrote to the CinC Scottish Command, “I am commanded by the Army Council to inform you that, in view of the officer’s addiction to alcohol, it has been decided that he is to be called upon to resign his commission, failing which steps will be taken for his removal from the Service.  I am to request that Lieutenant Sinclair may be informed accordingly, and that his application to resign may be forwarded to this department as soon as it is received by you”.

Jack Sinclair knew what was coming.  The previous day, 24 May, he had written a long letter to be included with his resignation.  In it he outlined his military service, attempted to explain his behaviour and in effect asked for his case to be reconsidered.  “I hope that you will quite understand that it was more disappointment, worry and ennui that made me inattentive to my work.  I have now settled down”, he went on, “and I know you will have no further cause to accuse me of misconduct. I exceedingly regret all that has passed but it has been a lesson to me which I shall not forget”.

At the War Office F.C. Beatson, whose decision to call a Medical Board in March following JHS’s first run in with the authorities had provided an escape route, commented scathingly.  “I am afraid I have little faith in promises of amendment from persons of this habit and suggest previous decision be adhered to”.  It was.  On the 17 June the Army Council’s verdict was passed down to the CinC Scottish Command.  “With reference to … a communication from Temporary Lieutenant J.H. Sinclair, 12th (Service) Battalion, Scottish Rifles, asking that his case might be reconsidered, I am commanded by the Army Council to inform you that they have again reviewed the matter and regret they are unable to modify the decision already arrived at.  Steps will, therefore, be taken to carry out that officer’s resignation at an early date and I am to request that Lieutenant Sinclair may be informed accordingly”.  Jack Sinclair’s resignation was gazetted on the 29 June and became effective the following day.

At some point though he made one final attempt to rescue the situation by appealing to the Attorney General Sir Edward Carson.  Writing to “My dear Tennant“, on the 2 July Carson “enclose[d] papers that were sent to me by Lieut. Sinclair, apparently he has been called upon to resign and it may be for aught I know quite justifiable, but as he seems to have come a long way from Mexico and given up everything there to join the forces of the Crown I will be obliged if you will tell me whether there is any chance of his case being reconsidered.  I do not profess myself to know anything about it”.  Even the intervention of such an eminent figure could not change things.   Tennant replied on the 5^th.  “The Army Council … are unable to reconsider their decision to accept his resignation.  In these circumstances I am sorry I cannot help him, especially as he has been so patriotic as to come all the way from Mexico”.

The Army was quite within its rights.  It could not tolerate an officer failing to turn up, showing little inclination to improve, turning up drunk for musketry training; he had been given a chance and failed to take it.  Such behaviour would not have been tolerated from a soldier of humbler rank and JHS had only got away with it for as long as he did because he was an officer.  Nevertheless there was more to JHS’s case than, “addiction to alcohol”.

He had not joined up to train in Scotland.  He had gone out of his way to re-enlist and was clearly keen to see active service.  On the 10 November 1914 his brother Thomas Sinclair had received a letter from Lord Roberts, “I beg to inform you in reply to your letter of the 5^th instant that there is no chance of the Canadian Contingent going abroad next week or for some time to come”.  JHS it seems had prompted him make enquiries on his behalf.  On the 29 November, his old CO, the Earl of Longford wrote, “I am very glad you have got your commission.  I should think you are as likely to go to the Continent as I am at present”.  Clearly JHS’s only intention was to get to France; in Scotland he was bored and restless, “it was more disappointment, worry and ennui that made me inattentive to my work” he wrote in his appeal to the War Office on the 24 May.

Jack Sinclair was a man who had spent virtually his entire adult life doing things.  As the Newsletter noted, “he had soldiering rather than banking in his blood”.  In his letter to the Army Council written on the 24 May, six months to the day after being gazetted into the Cameronians, his sense of frustration was obvious.  “This [his appointment to the Cameronians] was on the 24^th Nov last and I have been here since.  It is most disheartening as I was very keen on seeing some further service, furthermore the Machine-Guns I was with are at the front and have done very good work.”  Jack Sinclair‘s enthusiasm for adventure, his impatience and frustration had got the better of him and ultimately cost him his commission.

Yet even this set-back would not deter him.  On the 28 July 1915 barely a month since news of his resignation from the Cameronians had been published in the London Gazette, he re-enlisted as Trooper 1758 in the 2 King Edward’s Horse at the Curragh.  His choice of regiment was hardly surprising.  2KEH were a cavalry unit but had been sent to France as dismounted troops in May 1915 and were serving at the front as part of the Canadian Corps which included one of Jack Sinclair’s old units Lord Strathcona’s Horse.

By 31 January 1916 he appears to have made it as far as Rouen in France although his movements in the months either side of that are unclear.  But if Jack Sinclair was looking for action and the possibility of reacquainting himself with some old friends, it seems that he was to be disappointed.  On the 3 January 1916 it was announced that 2KEH were to be transferred to XIV Corps as cavalry.  That meant being withdrawn from the Canadian Corps and being taken out of the line.

That Jack Sinclair was not going to be in the thick of things is evident from the battalion War Diary. The closest they came to any action was on working parties employed between Ypres and Poperinghe.  Occasional bombardments and explosions were heard but that was as close as it got.  Other events worthy of note in the Diary included.  “lin[ing] the road at Tatingham to salute General Cadorna CinC of the Italian Army” on the 26 March while on the 4 May, “A smoking concert was held in commemoration of the Regiment landing in France on the 4^th May 1915”.

Battalion casualty figures support this picture of inaction.  Between the end of January when Jack Sinclair may have finally arrived in France and 16 July 1916, the WOCL shows that 2KEH suffered 2 fatalities both on the 1 July the opening day of the Somme.  However, those were probably men who had been transferred to other units because at that time the battalion was at Proven north west of Poperinghe – nowhere near the Somme.  Certainly the Battalion Diary makes no reference to any combat casualties after its transfer to XIV Corps, although it did record that on the 28 July “one casualty occurred … injured through falling of[f] horse on entering Steenvorde”.

By July Jack Sinclair had had enough.  Sometime before the middle of the month he submitted a request for a transferred to the Argyll and Southerland Highlanders “for the purpose of serving with that unit”.  In his application he put his best foot forward, giving his occupation as “solicitor”, his musketry qualification as “1^st class shot” and as having completed the machine gun and bombing school courses at the Curragh, both “1^st class”.  What Lt. Lyttle his instructor at the musketry range at Tain would have thought of all this is not hard to guess.  Neither his existing CO nor the CO of the Argylls had any objection to the move and on the 7 August 1916 Trooper J.H. Sinclair 2 KEH became Pvt. S16657 J.H. Sinclair 2ASH.  He “joined detail [at] Etaples” on the 16 August and ten days later on the 26^th joined up with his new battalion.

The 2 battalion of the Argyll and Southerland Highlanders belonged to 98 Brigade which was part of the 33 Division.  In the Summer of 1916 they were on the Somme and on the 18 August had been in action in High Wood.  Withdrawn from the front line the following day they were bivouacked in Fricourt Wood and for the next five days provided working parties.  On the 23^rd and 24^th the battalion was brought up to strength with the arrival of 205 other ranks although whether Jack Sinclair was one of these is impossible to say with certainty. Nevertheless by the 26^th the Argylls were back in the front line and the following day launched an attack on a strongpoint in Wood Lane, a German trench which ran between High Wood and Delville Wood.   “Repulsed owing to heavy machine gun fire and sniping [and because] the promised artillery co-operation was … unavailable”,  they tried again the following day this time with more success.  The cost was 23 killed with others wounded and missing.  Pulled back to the support line there would be a further nine deaths before the battalion was finally relieved on the 31^st.  Jack Sinclair it seems was at last getting the action that he had been after since re-enlisting in Canada 22 months earlier.

On the last day of the month 2ASH were relieved from the support trenches and pulled back from the front line.  Much of the next three and a half weeks were spent in the area around Doullens absorbing new drafts but on the 25^th they were back in the trenches at Hebuterne.  The next few days proved to be a “very quiet time” and on the 1 October the battalion was again withdrawn from the line.  Total casualties for September had, according to the War Diary, amounted to one wounded and 20 in hospital although during that time five men, presumably casualties from the August fighting, had died of wounds.

From Hebutern they made their way back to the area around Doulens where they had spent much of September arriving at Sus St. Leger on the 2 October.  They remained there for the next two and a half weeks during which “steady training was carried out daily.”  There was also some time for recreation and the Battalion Diary records that “an inter-company football competition was played [which] was won by “D” Company”.

By the 19^th they began their move back to the front firstly in French buses to Corbie 10km due east of Amiens, a 20 hour journey due to “the vast amount of motor traffic on the main Doullens-Amiens Road”.  After spending the day in billets at Corbie the battalion marched to the Sand Pits Camp near Meaulte (just south of Albert) where they spent the 21^st and 22^nd under canvas before moving on to Barnafay Wood on the 23^rd.  Captured on the 3 July by late October it lay some 8km behind the front line east of Lesboeufs where the 2ASH were heading.  The following day, the 24 October, 33 Division moved up to relieve 4 Division with 2ASH taking up close support positions in the Flers Line.

In his book “The War the Infantry Knew” J.C. Dunn a Medical Officer who served in 33 Division with 2 Royal Welsh Fusiliers in 19 Brigade, made the same journey.  He painted a vivid picture of conditions.  On the afternoon of the 21 October the Fusiliers had marched to the Citadel, on the hillside east of the Bray-Fricourt road close to where the Argylls had halted at the Sand Pits Camp.  It was “greasy going” he commented.  “Glad to be in tents, it’s cold, cold”.  The following day, the 22^nd the “march was resumed by cross-country tracks that thawed, making the going very heavy for the men; and the Transport skidded on the muddy slopes, and strung out as wagons stuck. We left it to collect in its allotted park in a vast expanse of mud at Carnoy, and marched by road to Trônes Wood”, a few hundred yards east of Bernafey Woods where Jack Sinclair would have been with 2ASH.  It was “a ruin of branch-less, riven trunks standing, or fallen, amid shell-holes and crumbling trenches. With little overhead shelter we huddled for warmth for a few hours round green-wood fires, blinking and choking. … After midnight [23 October] we fell in.  In pitch darkness, and with many stoppages, we made our way on narrow roads carrying an immensity of French and British traffic. … The route was by Guillemont, through which we passed in the dark, and Ginchy.  Attack and counter-attack under bombardment had made them mere names of sites; few of us noticed them, for our faculties were numbed.  And time was unnoticed.  Night shaded into day.  There was no dawn, no quickening, no radiance.  A sullen sky, a flattened vault of ashen grey, pressed upon folds the like of which we have been used to see a diaper of sunny harvest-fields, with cottages and trees.  There is no cottage standing, no chance tree or clump. Over on the right Leuze (“Lousy”) Wood, tailing into Bouleaux Wood, is less mutilated than the woods in rear.  It is the main feature in a wide and bare winter landscape of grey-green stubble stippled here and there with chrome-grey shell-holes, and scarred with trenches.  Desolation, reigns undisputed now, whatever revolution Spring may bring.  Beyond Ginchy Corner the road became less crowded, we could march in fours and get along, until we had it to ourselves. The distance we had come was short, but the morning was drawing on when we came to Serpentine Trench, a part of the captured Flers Line, in a fold between Ginchy and Morval, and settled down astride the road. The day was misty and chilly, the ground was soggy”.

That night, October 24^th, it rained continuously.  “The only relief for anyone was by changing the posture of discomfort. And it rained most of the day, which the men spent ‘making themselves comfortable’.  Nerves were a bit frayed all round. … Since last [33rd Division] was in action the line had been carried forward 3 miles, mostly on a mid-September day when tanks, used for the first time, rolled over everything that did not get out of the way.  Since then the German concentration, our lengthening communications, the bad weather conditions and the heavy surface, had all but stopped progress but there was no end to attempts, to attain small objectives by just hurling shells and men pell-mell at them”.

That evening, 24 October as 33 Division moved up to the front line, their “route was over fields by a track that was entered on about half a mile behind Morval. … The men were over-laden for the going; on parts of the ill-defined track they sank over their boots at every step. … several exhausted men of the outgoing units had stuck fast; they had to be dug out of the tenacious clay soil. … The front Companies were hampered in getting in, and in working, by dead and wounded … these were everywhere”.

By the 25 October “the rudimentary trenches had been deepened enough to give fair cover.  The position was seen to be a hollow overlooked by the enemy, to whom situation maps allotted Hazy Trench, Misty Trench, and other apt names.  The ‘trenches’ were figments of the Staff imagination, but the names had a colloquial use in pointing the whereabouts of the groups of shell-holes that served the Germans well for concealment and defense. … The physical conditions were a trial of endurance” he wrote of the 27 October.  “Anything I have seen out here yet was picnicking compared with these four days. Until today’s downpour it has been horribly raw, with mist or occasional drizzle … food can neither be cooked nor sent up warm … .  Taking up rations at night, the Transport found that things were simply bloody. … How the men … have stood these trenches is beyond my understanding. … Exhausted men were pulled out of mud from which they could not lift their feet, and hauled over anything they could not jump”.

Between the 24 and 28 October while they were in support, 2ASH were involved in “carrying and working fatigues”.  Then on the evening of the 28th  they moved up into the front line.  Conditions were as Dunn had described although the battalion diarist put it much less eloquently.  “During the period 28.10.16 – 1.11.16 while the Battalion was in the line great difficulties were experienced in getting up water and rations owing to the distance over which they had to be carried and the muddy conditions of the country”.

On the nights of the 28^th and 29^th 2ASH “made a[n] … advance of about 250 yards in front of Dewdrop trench … .  Little opposition was met with except from sniping and intermittent machine gun fire”.  Nevertheless that progress over those two days resulted in a minimum of 56 casualties and cost at least 16 men their lives.  Nor was that the end of it.  Despite the fact that the Battalion Diary makes no specific mention of any subsequent fighting, by the end of the month total casualties for that 4 day period had risen to 86 with at least 21 dead.  One of these was Jack Sinclair who was KIA on the 31 October 1916 along with four of his comrades.  He has no known grave and his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, face A or 16C.  He was 36 or 37 years old.

The following day the battalion was withdrawn from the front and made its way back to Trones Wood.  Not long after J.C. Dunn was back in precisely the area where 2ASH had been engaged.  On the 4 November he wrote, “Daylight is revealing. Any way one goes to Dewdrop [trench] is through a shambles. Nowhere have I seen the dead in such numbers on so little space or of so many units”.

We will never know where Jack Sinclair’s body lies.  It may have been scattered to the four winds or still be out there amongst whatever remains of Dewdrop trench.  It may even be beneath the foundations of the A1 motorway which connects Paris and Lille and runs right through the area being attacked by 33 Division at the end of October 1916.  Alternatively it may be amongst those that were reburied in CWGC cemeteries after the war was over.  If this is the case, then which one?   Of the 20 other ranks in 2ASH who are listed in the WOCL as having killed between the 28 and 31 October only 7 have known graves.  6 of them who were killed in the attack on the 28^th and 29^th are in the Guards Cemetery at Lesboeufs where 3,136 casualties of the First World War are now buried or commemorated.  At the time of the Armistice though the cemetery consisted of only 40 graves, now Plot I, and none of those 6 Argylls are in it.  Their remains were amongst those of nearly 3100 men whose bodies were brought in from the battlefields and small cemeteries round Lesboeufs after the war.  Could Jack Sinclair’s be one of the others?  It is a tantalising thought and a distinct possibility for there are 1,643 men in The Guards Cemetery at Lesboeufs who are “Known only unto God”.

Writing in November, the Editor of the News Letter observed that, “he died as he would have liked to have died in a great fight and for a good cause”.  Similar sentiments were probably expressed about many others as friends and relatives struggled to make sense of their loss.  In the case of Jack Sinclair it is hard to avoid the feeling that it was probably true.  Whatever else he was, there is little doubt that he was a character, a man who sought out adventure and ultimately paid for it with his life; a “mans man” in whose life we can see a sense of spirit that we might envy.  “News of his death will come as a heavy blow to his friends who were legion,” wrote the Editor of the News Letter, “for few men had a greater gift of friendship”.

Jack Sinclair was the third son of William and Anna Jane Sinclair of Rosslyn, Antrim Road, Lisburn, brother of Thomas Sinclair J.P. chairman of Lisburn Urban Council and of William Sinclair clerk of Lisburn Board of Guardians.  Another brother Captain Robert L. Sinclair served with the RAMC in Mesopotamia.  He was promoted from Lieutenant to Captain in September 1917.

SINGLETON, Lance corporal Isaiah. Born in Lisburn, he lived at Halftown, Maze and was a “Lisburn cross-country runner” and member of Lisburn Hockey Club.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 IG (3400).  KIA in Belgium on the 1.11.14 aged 23, his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium, panel 11.  He was the son of Isaiah and Mary Ann Singleton of Halftown, Maze, Hillsborough.

SINGLETON, Leading Carpenters Crew Joshua.  Lived at Culcavey and served in the Royal Navy (345952) on HMS Cressy.  Drowned in the North Sea on the 22.9.14 aged 37, his death is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent, panel 6.  He was the son of David and Eliza Jane Singleton, and husband of Elizabeth Singleton, all of Hillsborough, Co. Down.  The Cressy, an old armoured cruiser, was sunk along with the Aboukir and Hogue by the German submarine U9 (or U29).  These ships made up what one officer described as “the live-bait squadron” which patrolled the Dogger area of the North Sea.  The Aboukir was the first to be hit at 0630.  The Hogue and Cressy followed shortly after when they stopped to rescue survivors.  More than 1400 men, most of them middle-aged reservists and naval cadets, were lost.  This and the sinking a month later of the old cruiser Hawke, on which Edward Crossin and William John Gillespie died, convinced both sides that the submarine was a potent weapon.   In March 1915 the Standard carried an article in which it was reported that, “The Aboukir, Cressy and Hogue have been avenged.  The submarine U29, which sank these boats, has been sent to the bottom with all hands … This cheerful news has been published by the Admiralty, and may be taken as a fact, though the Admiralty, always careful in their choice of language, only state, ‘they have good reason to believe’ that the German submarine U29 has been sunk”.

SINTON, Captain Edwin. MC.  Born in Belfast, he was an Old Scholar of the Ulster Provincial School, subsequently Friends’ School, Lisburn.  He fought throughout the Boer War and afterwards enlisted in the Camel Corps in British East Africa.  Before the war, he was manager of the Picture House in Royal Avenue, Belfast, a member of the Royal Ulster Masonic Lodge No. 274 and of the Commercial Masonic Lodge No. 418.  He enlisted as a Trooper in the NIH in 1914 and quickly rose to the rank of Sergeant.  Commissioned into the RFA, with whom he saw active service, he was subsequently transferred to the 4th. Light Railway Company RE as a Lieutenant and promoted to captain in 1917.  Awarded the M.C. in the early summer of 1918, the citation read, “Under very heavy shelling he set a fine example of cheerful disregard of danger, and was of great assistance in evacuating light railway stock and maintaining traffic until the advance of the enemy rendered further work impossible”.  He was KIA in France by a bomb on the 21.8.18 aged 35, and is buried in Villers Station Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, plot 11, row C, grave 19.  He was the husband of Mabel Alice Sinton of 54 St. Saviour’s Road, St. Leonards, Sussex, the daughter of Major F. Blackwell, RE.  They were married in about August 1917 a year before his death.  She was a nurse, and in June 1918, was Sister in charge of a Military Hospital at Oswestry in Shropshire.  For her services in France she had been mentioned in dispatches in 1916 and was later awarded the Royal Red Cross medal.

A friend and colleague of Edwin Sinton’s writing to his wife about his death described how, “It is a terrible blow to everyone of us, and every man of the Company feels it keenly.  As for myself, I can hardly realise it.  He was my best pal out here, and was simply worshiped by his men, who would have done anything for him, and well he deserved their trust.  I was not beside him at the time of his death as I had gone away two days previously to another detachment.  The bomb which killed him dropped a short distance from where your husband and Lieut. O’Sullivan were standing.  Death was instantaneous, and you can rest assured he suffered no pain.  O’Sullivan was just beside him and they were comrades in death as well as in life.  Captain Sinton was very good to me.  He was good to everyone, and I think he knew how fond I was of him.  It will be a terrible thing for you to bear, but you must keep a stiff upper lip.  Many and many a time when we were sitting together he spoke of you – he was always thinking of you.  They were buried at 6.30 yesterday evening with full military honours, and lie side by side in a peaceful spot out here.  The funeral was most impressive, and his popularity was easily seen when I say that practically every officer of the Light Railway Corps that possibly could be present was there; yes and more that every man from every Company who could get was present, too.  We have lost one of the best and straightest men who ever lived”.

Lieutenant Thomas George O’Sullivan, who also served in the 4th Light Railway Operating Company, was the youngest son of the late Dr. and Mrs. O’Sullivan, of Limerick.  He was 32 years old.  As the letter above describes, the two do “lie side by side”.  O’Sullivan too is buried in Villers Station Cemetery, plot 11, row C, grave 20.  The cemetery in which the two are buried is about 2 kilometres northwest of the village of Villers-Au-Bois, which is itself 11 kilometres northwest of Arras.

SKELLY, Corporal James.  He lived on the Belsize Road, Lisburn, enlisted at Belfast and served in 10 RIR (6717) attached to the 21^st battalion.  KIA in France on the 21.3.18 aged 24, his death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France, panels 74-6.  He was the eldest son of John and Mary Skelly of the Belsize Road, Lisburn.

SKELLY, Rifleman William.  Born in Derragh, Co. Antrim, he lived in Lisburn and was employed at Hilden.  He and his father were members of Lambeg LOL 138 while he was also a member of the 1^st Lisburn battalion of the UVF along with his elder brother John and a cousin.  Employed at Hilden before the war, he enlisted early in the war in Lisburn and served in 6 RIR (5/5255).  Wounded and frost bitten during the first winter of the war, he was being treated in Heath Hospital, Bewdley, Worcestershire in February 1915.  He DoW in Salonica on the 31.10.16 aged 21 and is buried in Struma Military Cemetery, Greece, plot 6, row C, grave 1.  He was the son of the late William Skelly and Mary Jane Skelly of Grand Street, Low Road, Lisburn.  His death notice, inserted in the Standard on the 1 December 1916 by his brothers and sisters of 122 Grand Street, included a poem which read, “Peace by thy rest dear brother, ‘Tis sweet to breathe thy name; In life we loved you dear, In death we do the same”.  A year later on the 3.11.17 they inserted another which read, “Oh, dear brother how we miss you, None on earth but God can tell; You were our thoughts late and early, And now in heaven our brother doth dwell”.  By coincidence, Rifleman Skelly’s father died on the same day and at about the same time as his son.  His mother had died on the 30 July 1912.  Two of his brothers also served.

SLAVIN, Private John.  Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in LR (6842), subsequently transferring to 2 RIrR (8299).  KIA in France on the 19.10.14, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France, panels 11-12.

SLOANE, Rifleman Joseph W.  Born in and possibly living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in C Company 14 RIR (15949).  KIA in Belgium and served in 6.8.16 aged 25, he is buried in the Berks Cemetery Extension, Ploegsteert, Belgium, plot 1, row G, grave 6.  The headstone inscription reads, “Until he come. 1st Cor chapter 11 verse 26”.  He was the son of Mrs. Sloane of 16 Malone Avenue, Belfast and the late Joseph Sloane.

SMEATON, Rifleman Robert.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RIR (8206).  KIA in France on the 20.9.14 aged 27, his death is commemorated on the La Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial, France.  He was the son of R.I.H. and Elizabeth Smeaton of Derryaghy Dorray, Co. Roscommon.  The La Ferte-Souse-Jouarre Memorial is on the Marne about 20 Km. east of Meaux.  It commemorates those killed in the fighting from August to early September 1914 who have no known grave.  George Neill also 2 RIR who was killed on the 19th September and William John Johnston 1 DCLI killed on the 9th. September are also commemorated there.

SMILEY, Private Albert.  Served in 5 RIR.  He died of pneumonia on the 10.1.18 and is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial and on the Memorial in Christ Church, Lisburn.  Other than this there is no positive trace so far.

SMITH, Private Alfred.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he lived in Hollywood, enlisted at Belfast and served in the Royal Munster Regiment (5183), subsequently transferring to 83 Company MGC(I) (48682).  He died in Salonica on the 10.10.18 aged 21 and is buried in Kirechkoi Hortakoi Military Cemetery, Greece, grave 286.  He was the son of George and Emma C. Smith of 2 Longview Terrace, Shore Street, Hollywood, Co. Down.

SMITH, Rifleman C.D.H.  His death is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial but there is no positive trace so far.

SMITH, Rifleman John (Jack).  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he lived at Eglantine, Culcavey, Co. Down.  A member of the Hillsborough Company of the UVF, he enlisted at Lisburn, and served in C Company 13 RIR (18805).  He DoW on the Somme on the 29.6.16 aged 20 and is buried in Forceville Communal Cemetery Extension, France, plot 2, row A, grave 1.  He was the second son of Joseph and Elizabeth Smith of Eglantine, Hillsborough, Co. Down.  Their youngest son, Bertie Smith, who also served as a Rifleman in the RIR went out to the front in late March 1918 and was wounded three weeks later on the 18 April.  As a result he had to have part of his left arm amputated but otherwise appears to have survived.

SMITH, Rifleman Robert.  Born in Blaris, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in D Company 11 RIR (2261) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 20, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.

SMITH, Rifleman Robert.  Born in Blaris, he lived in Belfast, enlisted at Ballykinlar, Co. Down and served in C Company, 1 RIR (3653).  KIA in Belgium on the 9.5.15, his death is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium, panel 9.  Writing to the proprietor of the Standard in a letter published on the 23 April 1915, Robert Smith expressed his thanks, “for copies of the paper safely received”.  He went on to describe a football match which had taken place between, “what was left of the [1^st battalion of the] Rifles … following the Battle of Neuve Chapelle” and the 1 Lincolns.  The Rifles had come out 5:1 winners in a match in which “Jack Johnston [a type of large German shell named after a famous heavy weight boxer of the time] kept blowing his whistle”.  According to Smith, “Rifleman Graham of Lisburn was the best player on the field”.  A fortnight earlier on the 9 April another letter had appeared in the Standard from, “a few Lisburn chaps at the front” who had been involved in the fighting at Neuve Chapelle.  The signatories were Riflemen R. Smith, Sharkey, Cree, and Brown of 1 RIR and Private Love of the ELR.  They had written to express their sympathies with the family of Jack Kirkwood (see above) who had died on the 23 March.  Private Love (or Lovie as he appears on Lisburn War Memorial) was probably Henry Topping (below) who seems to have been using his mother’s name.  Five weeks later on the 14 May another letter from “the lads of Lisburn now at the front” appeared.  In it they thanked “the girls of the Railway Hotel Lisburn” for comforts they had sent out.  By the time that it was published, Robert Smith, Henry Topping (East Lancs), and Henry Brown who were all signatories, were dead.  None has a known grave and like Robert Smith, Henry Topping and Henry Brown are commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Belgium.  One implication of these letters is that groups of men from the town who served in different battalions actually met, presumably when they were off duty.

SMYLIE, Private William J.  His death is commemorated on the War Memorial in First Boardmills Presbyterian Church, however, there is no positive trace so far.

SMYTH, Major Edmund Fitzgerald. M.C.  Educated at St. Columba’s College, Dublin and Owen’s College Manchester, he was a director of “Lisburn Factory, Limited” and Smyth’s Weaving Company (Brookfield Mills) Banbridge.  A hockey international, he player hockey for Banbridge and rugby for the 1^st. XV at North.  In addition he was a member of Royal County Down Golf Club and Windsor Tennis Club in Belfast.  He was also a member of the Union Club in Donegall Place in the City, and, along with Major A.P. Jenkins (see above), played a prominent part in the formation of the Lisburn battalion of the U.V.F in which he was a company commander.  An officer in 11 RIR since its formation in September 1914, he was promoted to Captain in A Co. on the 1.2.15 and embarked with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  It was he who wrote to the parents of Henry Corkin (above) informing them of the circumstances in which their son had drowned on the 17.5.16.  He may also have been the officer who wrote to the father of James Hall Davison telling them that his son had been recommended for a D.C.M. for jumping into a river and saving a soldier from drowning.  Wounded in the leg on the Somme on the 1.7.16, he recovered in hospital in London and was subsequently appointed second-in-command of the battalion with the rank of Major.  Offered promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel and command of one of the Belfast battalions [of the Ulster Division], he declined on the grounds that he preferred to remain with the men with whom he had joined up.  KIA by a shell while on reconnaissance duty near Marcoing on the Cambrai battlefield in France on the 3.12.17 aged 31, news that he had been awarded the M.C. came through less than a month later.  Edmund Smyth is buried in Fifteen Ravine British Cemetery, Villers-Plouich, France, plot 2, row C, grave 6.  According to the Editor of the Standard, “no death in action was received in Lisburn with more profound and general sorrow”.  He was the son of Jane R. and the late William Smyth, a J.P., of Brookfield, Banbridge, Co. Down.  His elder brother, Major Rolertson Stewart Smyth RAMC had died in a London nursing home on the 5 April 1916 having been invalided back from the front the previous December.  Another brother, Lt-Col. G.B.F. Smyth from Banbridge was awarded a bar to his D.S.O. in July 1917 “for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty.  Although seriously wounded he remained at the telephone in an ill-protected trench for many hours during a critical time to report the course of events to brigade headquarters.  He realised that there was no officer of experience to replace him”.  The Herald, in reporting the award, also commented that “his sense of duty may cost him his remaining arm, the other having been amputated as the result of a previous wound”.  In total he had been wounded five times.  A cousin, Captain John Haughton Smyth 13 RIR was KIA on the 1.7.16.

SMYTH, Rifleman George.  Enlisted at Lisburn and served in 12 RIR (91).  He died from intestinal catarrah while a PoW in Lansdorf hospital Germany on the 9.11.18 aged 20 and is buried in Berlin South Western Cemetery, Stahnsdorf, Germany, plot 18, row A, grave 1.  He was the eldest son of the late George and Jane Smyth 20 Sloan Street, Lisburn.  His family had the following In Memoriam notice published in the Herald on the 31 May 1919.  “Dry your eyes my weeping mother, See the crown your son has won; Try to think amid your sorrow, God knows best, His will be done.  Deeply regretted by his sorrowing Mother, brothers and sisters”.

SMYTH, Private Lancelot.  Born on the 17.3.1892 in the parish of Derriaghy, he enlisted at Montreal on the 6.2.15 aged 23 years and 10 months and was passed fit for overseas service the same day.  He was 5’11¾” tall with a 37” chest and 5” expansion.  Of a fair complexion, he had blue eyes and fair hair and had a scar on the left side of his upper lip.  A single man and plaster by trade, he had no previous military experience and was posted to the 5 CMR QR (110524).  He died on the Somme on the 15.9.16 aged 25 and is buried in Sunken Road Cemetery, Contalmaison, Somme, France, plot 11, row C, grave 4.  He was the son of Lancelot and Cataerine Smyth of 401 Alymer (or 399 Aylmar) Street, Montreal formerly of Derriaghy.  They included the following poem along with an In memoriam notice in the Herald on the 29.9.17.  “We often think of days gone by, When we were all together; A shadow o’er our lives is cast, A loved one gone forever”.  His sister and brother-in-law Jennie and John Woods who lived at 86 Aird Avenue, Montreal inserted the following in the same issue.  “Anchored by love, death cannot sever, Sadly we miss him, and will for ever; Some day, Some time, we hope to see, The dear face we hold in memory”.

 

SMYTH, Rifleman Thomas James.  Born in Drumbeg, Co. Antrim, he lived in Dunmurry, enlisted at Lisburn, and served in 14 RIR (1526).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 age 19, he is buried in Potijze Chateau Grounds Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium, plot 2, row B, grave 28.  He was the son of Samuel and Sarah Smyth of 2 Railway Street, Dunmurry.

SMYTH, Private Walter Henry.  Born and living in Ballinderry, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Newtownards and served in 9 RIrF (23793).  He DoW in Belgium on the 18.4.18 age 21 and is buried in Mendinghem Military Cemetery, Poperinghe, Belgium, plot 10, row A, grave 41.  He was the son of James Smyth of Lake View House, Ballinderry, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.

SMYTH, Rifleman William Edward.  Born in Derriaghy, Co. Antrim, he lived in Dunmurry, enlisted at Lisburn, and embarked for France from Bordon with 11 RIR, possibly A Company, in October 1915.  Wounded on the Somme on the 1.7.16 and transferred to 12 RIR (6805) when 11 and 11/13 battalions RIR were disbanded in 1917, he was KIA in France on the 2.9.18 age 21.  He is buried in Le Grand Beaumart British Cemetery, Steenwerck, Nord, France, plot 3, row E, grave 11.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of Samuel and Sarah Smyth of 2 Railway Street, Dunmurry.

SPENCE, Rifleman William.  Born in Lisburn where he was an employee of the Island Spinning Company, he may have been a reservist in 5 RIR.  Enlisting in Lisburn, he may have been attached to 2 RIR and sent out to the front on the 20.12.14.  Hospitalized in England in May 1915 after being wounded, he may have been wounded again on the 16^th June 1915.  Subsequently transferred to 6 RIR (5411), he died of dysentery in Egypt on the 30.11.17 and is buried in Kantara War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt, row F, grave 133.  He was the brother of Mrs. Annie Clarke of 13 Bradbury’s Buildings, Lisburn.

SPINDLAW, Private James.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Glasgow and served in 2 HLI (16912).  KIA in France on the 25.7.18 aged 27, he is buried in Bienvillers Military Cemetery, France, plot 18, row D, grave 4.  He was the son of John and Sarah Spindlaw of 109 Elder Street, Glasgow.

SPRATT, Rifleman William John.  Born in Blaris, Co. Antrim, he lived at Hillhall, Lisburn.  Possibly a reservist in 5 RIR, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 2 RIR (5018).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.6.15 aged 27, his death is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium, panel 9.  He was the son of William John Spratt of 56 Canal Street, Lisburn.

SPROTT, Sergeant Dispenser Thomas.  Born on the 8.6.1888 at Portadown where he lived at least until 1905, he was an Old Scholar of Friends School, Lisburn which he entered on the 14.1.01.  His work and conduct were generally “very satisfactory” although he appears to have struggled at some subjects.  Probably the workshop curator at FSL in 1903, he left  school on the 21.7.05.  He enlisted at Londonderry and served in the 143^rd Indian Combined Field Ambulance, RAMC (37082).  He died on active service on the 11.10.18 aged 30 and is buried in Ramleh War Cemetery, Palestine, row Z, grave 60.  He was the son of Samuel and Jane E. Sprott of Carraboo, Portadown.

STANFIELD, Rifleman Thomas.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in the 1^st Garrison battalion RIR (303).  He died in India on the 29.2.16 aged 38 and his death is commemorated on the Hollybrook Memorial, Hampshire.  He was the husband of Margaret Stanfield of 25 Hanover Street, Belfast.

STANWAY, Private William.  Born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, he enlisted at Manchester and served in 18 MR (11204).  KIA in France on the 9.7.16 aged 36, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 13A or 14C.  He was the son of the late James and Emily Stanway and husband of Mary Carson, formerly Stanway of Lisburn.  At the time of William Stanway’s death his wife was living with their two young children at Old Warren in Lisburn.  Two of his brothers also served in the war.

STEADMAN, Rifleman John.  Born at Blaris, he lived with his widowed mother in Bachellors Walk, Lisburn, and worked at the Queen’s Island, Belfast.  He enlisted in Lisburn and served in D Company 11 RIR (2551) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 26, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the son of Robert and M.A. Steadman of of Bachelors’ Walk, Lisburn.  His brother George Steadman also served in 11 RIR and had embarked with John for France in 1915.  He was wounded in August 1917 and again in April the following year.  He recovered in hospital and appears to have survived the war.

STEELE, Private Alexander.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Belfast, enlisted at Preston and served in 1 NLR (6177).  KIA at Ypres on the 23.10.14, his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Belgium, panels 41-3.  He was the son of Agnes and the late John Steele of 26 Isabella Street, Belfast

STEPHENSON, Rifleman Joseph.  Born in and enlisted at Lisburn, he served in D Company 11 RIR (3024) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 he is buried in the A.I.F. Burial Ground, Grass Lane, Flers, France, plot 9, row A, grave 3.  There is no headstone inscription.  The A.I.F. Burial Ground is some way from area where 11 RIR were engaged on the 1.7.16.  He is probably buried there because of the concentration of graveyards or the late discovery of his body.

STERLING James.  He is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial but there is no positive trace so far.

STEVENSON, Rifleman James.  Born in Lambeg where he lived at 16 Church Hill, he enlisted at Belfast and served in B Company 11 RIR (6495) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Reported missing on the 16.7.16 and subsequently, in May or June 1917, as KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, he was the third son of Thomas Stevenson of 16 Church Hill, Lambeg.  He is buried in the A.I.F. Burial Ground, Grass Lane, Flers, France, plot 15, row A, grave 12 next to Pvt. F. Todd, below, there is no headstone inscription.  Flers is some way from the area where 11 RIR were engaged on 1.7.16.  He is probably buried there because of CWGC concentration of graveyards or the late discovery of his body.

STEVENSON, Private William.  An old soldier, “who saw much hard and severe foreign service before many of Kitchener’s new army were born”, he had fought against the Dervishes in Egypt and the Boers in Southern Africa.  He had volunteered for the Camel Corps during “the trouble” in the Sudan in 1898 and took part in the charge of the 21^st Lancers at Omdurman in which Winston Churchill was involved.  Subsequently posted to India he was invalided home but rejoined the army in 1899 on the outbreak of the Boer War where he served with the RIR.  Wounded and invalided home again, “he completed his term of engagement on the Special Reserve”.  He lived at Piper Hill, and 4 Hill Street, Lisburn and enlisted for a third time in 1914, even though, “the army had no claim whatever on him … conveniently forgetting the date of his birth”.  Serving once again with the RIR, he was posted to the 6^th battalion (11244) which was sent to Gallipoli as part of the 10^th Division.  On the 3 September 1915, the Standard reported that, “News [had come] to hand … of [his] death from wounds, at the Dardanelles”.  The following week they reported that “mystery surrounds [his] fate or whereabouts” and that, “no confirmation or denial has so far been obtained from the War Office … Should any of his pals see this paragraph, by communicating whatever they know to his brother … they would relieve a great deal of anxiety”.  He was the brother of James Stevenson of 4 Hill Street, Lisburn and had another brother, Andrew, serving with the Rifles.  Two other brothers, John and James, worked in Coulsons, a weaving firm in Lisburn?  There is no record in IMR of a William Stephenson or Stevenson being killed in the Dardanelles.  The CWGC and WOCL have two but neither is from the Lisburn area or in the RIR.  The obvious conclusion is that he survived.  However, another possibility is that he may have been serving under an assumed name because he was over-age when he enlisted.

STEWART, Rifleman Bryce. Served as John Brown.  The family came from Tullynacross, he was born in Newry and lived in Lisburn.  Before the war he was in the Navy, came home on leave and, according to his family, “deserted” so that he could join the Ulster Division.  He enlisted at Belfast and embarked with 11 RIR for France from Bordon in October 1915, transferring to 12RIR (3548) when 11RIR were disbanded in 1917.  He was KIA in Belgium, “by a sniper” on the 25.10.18 and his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140, 162-162a and 163a.  One possible reason for his serving under an assumed name may have been his “desertion” from the Navy.  However, a peculiar thing about this is that the 11 RIR embarkation list actually names him as Bryce Stewart rather than Brown, so someone in authority knew who he really was!

STEWART, Lance Corporal Edmund Robert. Born in Dublin on the 20.4.1893 he was educated at St. Pauls National School and Mountjoy School, Dublin.  He “learned farming” at Barnscourt in Co. Tyrone before emigrating to Canada in May 1911 when he was 18.  A single man with no previous military experience, he enlisted in Winnipeg on Christmas Eve 1914 aged 21 years and 8 months and was passed fit for overseas service the same day.  5’ 10½“ tall, he had a 35” chest with 2” expansion, fair complexion, blue eyes and dark hair.  He also had a mole on the left hand side of his chest and a large scar on his right hand.  He served on the Western Front from May 1915 in 8 CI MtbaR (81849).  Posted as missing and eventually, in April or May 1917 as having been KIA on the 26.9.16, he was 23 years old.  The son of Robert and Ellie Stewart of Englishtown, Maze and later Lissue, Lisburn, his death is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial, Pas de Calais, France.  On hearing that his son was missing, Robert Stewart had the matter reported in the Lisburn Standard on the 20 October in the hope that someone would have any information of his whereabouts.  His son’s C.O. had written saying that, “I am afraid no hope can be held that he is still alive”, but it was the Spring of 1917 before his death was officially confirmed by the Canadian Record Office.  The official letter read, “owing to the lapse of time and the fact that no information has come to hand from any source whatever indicating that the soldier might still be alive [we] have been regretfully constrained to conclude that he is dead”.  Robert Stewart himself was not to survive for much longer.  A graduate of TCD, he was “well known in literary circles” as well as being “a mathematician of the first rank”.  He had just been appointed to the staff of Maidenhead College in England when he died on the 3.9.17 “at a comparatively young age”.  In his obituary in the Standard it was noted that, “The loss of his eldest son on the Somme … preyed greatly on his mind, and no doubt hastened the end”.  Robert Stewart was buried in Broomhedge Churchyard on Tuesday the 5 September 1917 less than a year after the death of his son.

STEWART, Private Hugh Henry.  Born in Ballynahinch, he lived at Saintfield, enlisted at Belfast and served in 11 RIR (18/1188).  He may have embarked with them from Bordon Camp for France in October 1915.  KIA in France on the 5.9.17 age 21, he is buried in Metz-en-Couture Communal Cemetery British Extension, France, plot 1, row F, grave 2.  The headstone inscription reads, “Not lost but gone before”.  He was the son of Mrs. Mary Stewart of Carricknaveagh, Saintfield, Co. Down.

 

STEWART, Private James.  Born in Lisburn on the 6.1.1882, he lived at Ballymullen, Lisburn but emigrated to Canada where he was employed as a steel worker.  Enlisting at Winnipeg on the 29.12.1914 aged 30 years and 11 months, he belonged to the Militia but had no previous military experience, and was passed fit for overseas service the same day, “subject to teeth”.  5’ 8½“ tall he had a 37” chest (fully expanded) with a 2½“ range of expansion, a fair complexion, blue eyes, light hair and a scar on his right forearm.  He served in PPCLI EOR (51441) and was KIA in Belgium on the 4.5.15 age 33 and is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium, panel 10.  He was the son of James, a farmer, and Margaret Stewart of Ballymullen, Lisburn, Co. Down and 224 Hillman Street, Belfast, and husband of Margaret E. Stewart of McMaster’s Bridge, Dunmurry.

STEWART, Rifleman Joseph.  Born in Blaris, Co. Antrim, he lived in Belfast, enlisted at Ballykinlar, Co. Down and served in 2 RIR (4167).  He DoW in Belgium on the 25.9.15 and is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinghe, Belgium, plot 1, row D, grave 23A.  There is no headstone inscription.

STEWART, Corporal Peter Mitchell.  Born in Port Glasgow, Lanark, he lived at Glenmore Terrace, Lisburn, enlisted at Belfast and served in B Company 11 RIR (16976).  Embarking for France as a Lance corporal with 11 RIR from Bordon Camp in October 1915, he was KIA on the Somme on the 1 July 1916 and is buried in Cerisy-Gailly French National Cemetery, France, plot 1, row C, grave 18.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was survived by his wife who lived at Glenmore Terrace, Lisburn and was the son of Barbara Stewart of Lower Lodge, Derryvolgie and the Low Road, Lisburn.  She may have re-married a Mr. McCoy from the town.  She included the following verse with an In Memoriam notice published in the Herald on the 30 June 1917.  “For King and country he did his best, May God give him eternal rest”.  Another notice on the 5 July 1919 simply read, “Ever remembered by his Mother and Sister”.

STEWART, Guardsman Thomas.  Born in Glasgow where he enlisted in about November or December 1914, he served in the Scots Guards (11995).  Initially reported as MIA it was six months before he was finally confirmed as having been KIA in France on the 17.10.15.  His wife and two children lived in Glasgow.  The eldest son of James, a farmer, and Margaret Stewart of Ballymullen, Lisburn, Co. Down, his brother Pvt. James Stewart (above) who served in the Canadian Infantry, was killed the previous May.  His death is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, France, panels 8 and 9.

STEWART, Private Waring.  Lived in Dunmurry, enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RIrF (22775).  He was KIA in France on the 23.11.17 and his death is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial, Louverval, France, panel 10.

STEWART, Rifleman William.  Born in Dunmurry, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RIR (13663).  He died at “home” on the 5.2.15 age 18 and was buried with military honours in Lisburn Cemetery, Old Section C, grave 153 on Monday the 8 February.  The headstone inscription reads, “At the rivers crystal brink Christ shall join each broken link”.  He was the son of Andrew and Mary Stewart of 15 Mayo Street, Belfast.

 

STIRLING, Rifleman P.  Served in 2 RIR (5210).  He died at “home” on the 30.10.18 and is buried in Trinity Terrace Graveyard, Lisburn.

STITT, Campbell.  He is commemorated on the War Memorial in Ballinderry Parish Church, however, there is no positive trace so far.

STITT, Sergeant Francis.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Belfast, enlisted at Waringstown, Co. Down and served in 7 RIR (5/5156).  He DoW in France on the 11.9.16 and is buried in Bois Guillaume Communal Cemetery, France, plot 2, row A, grave 16.

STITT, Rifleman Thomas.  Born in Portadown, he served in 1 RIR (13561).  He was KIA in Belgium on the 9.5.15 and his death is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium, panel 9.

STOOPS, P.  His death is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial, however, there is no positive trace so far.

SWAIN, Rifleman William George (Willie).  Born in Aghalee, Co. Antrim, he lived in Moira, Co. Down, enlisted at Belfast and served in 8 RIR (I576).  KIA on the Messines Ridge in Belgium on the 7.6.17 age 20, he is buried in Lone Tree Cemetery, Mesen, Belgium, plot 2, row C, grave 6.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the youngest son of George and Sarah Swain of Megaberry, Moira, Co. Down who included the following poem with the death notice they placed in the Herald on the 30 June 1917.  “Blessed hope that in Jesus is given, In our sorrow to cheer and sustain; That soon with our Saviour in Heaven, We shall meet with our loved one again”.  After the war on the 7 June 1919, Willie Swain’s family had the following In Memoriam notice published in the Herald.  “There is an hour of peaceful rest to mourning wander’s given; There is a joy for souls distrest, A balm for every wounded breast, ‘Tis found above in heaven.  Ever fondly remembered … ”.  Lone Tree Cemetery lies just below the Spanbroekmolen mine crater and contains the remains of many of those from the 36^th and 16^th Divisions killed from the fall-out from the mine which was blown 15 seconds late at the start of the attack on the Messines Ridge in June 1917.  His brother-in-law was also on active service.

SWEENEY, Rifleman Francis.  Born in Dundalk, he enlisted in Belfast and was serving in 5 RIR (5703), a reserve battalion.  On the morning of the 30.11.16 he was being taken by train under military guard from Belfast to Dublin. Near Derriaghy he jumped from a toilet window onto the track sustaining serious injuries from which he died shortly after.  He is buried in Milltown Roman Catholic Cemetery, Belfast, plot CE, grave 11.

TAGGART, Rifleman John Mercer.  Born in and enlisted at Belfast, he served in D Company 13 RIR (19788).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 age 35, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138 to 140 and 162 to 162A and 163A.  He was the husband of Selina Taggart of 6 Lagan Side Terrace, Lisburn.

TATE, Corporal David.  Born in Lisburn, before the war he lived with his parents in Young Street.  He enlisted at Lisburn, and served in A Company 11 RIR (19954), embarking with them for France as a lance corporal from Bordon Camp in October 1915 a few days after his marriage.  He DoW received at Thiepval, France on the 24.6.16 aged 26 and is buried in Forceville Communal Cemetery and Extension, France, plot 1, row E, grave 12.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the husband of Minnie Tate of 97 Ballynahinch Road, Lisburn, and son of David and Charlotte Tate of 79 Young Street, Lisburn.  He was probably the brother of Sergeant James Tate who was KIA on the 15.4.18 (see below).  His wife had the following poem included with an In Memoriam notice published in the Herald on the 30.6.17.  “Tis sweet to know we’ll meet again, Where partings are no more, And that the one I dearly loved, Has only gone before”.

TATE, Sergeant James.  Born in and enlisted at Lisburn, he embarked for France from Bordon as a corporal with 11 RIR in October 1915.  Subsequently transferred to 12 RIR (19953) when 11 and 11/13 RIR were disbanded in 1917, he was KIA in Belgium on the 15.4.18 aged 27.  His death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-40.  He was the son of Mrs. Charlotte Tate of 79 Young Street, Lisburn, and probably brother of Corporal David Tate who DoW on the 24.6.16 (see above).

TATE  Rifleman John P K.  Born in and enlisted at Newtownards, Co. Down, he served in B Company 13 RIR (19952).  KIA on the Somme on the 7.2.16 age 20 he is buried in Forceville Communal Cemetery and Extension, Somme, France, on the South boundary.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of John and Sarah Jane Tate of 12 Frances Street, and North Street, Newtownards.  His death is also commemorated on the family headstone in Broomhedge (St. Matthews) Parish church where his mother (who died on the 20.3.48 aged 87) and sister, Olive Eileen Tate (who died on the 12.11.1993 “in her 94th. Year”), are buried.  His father John Tate, died at Newtownards on the 8.2.17 aged 60, a year and a day after his son.

TEGGART T.  His death is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial, however, there is no positive trace so far.

THOMPSON, Private Edward.  Born in Poleglass, Co. Antrim, he lived at Dunmurry, enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RInF (3025).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 21.8.15, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panels 97 to 101.  His father also served (in 18 RIR) but survived.  He was from Poleglass, Dunmurry.

THOMPSON, Private Ernest.  Born in Shankill, Co. Antrim, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Belfast and served originally in RASC (T4/129411) before transferring to 2 MR (53079).  KIA in France on the 1.10.18 age 29, he is buried in Joncourt East British Cemetery, Aisne, France, row B, grave 25.  He was the son of Anna Thompson of 2A Bedeque Street, Belfast.

 

THOMPSON, Driver Herbert.  Born in Shankill, Co. Antrim, he lived and enlisted at Belfast and served in the 15^th Division Train, RASC (T3/O31111).  KIA in France on the 21.5.18 age 22, he is buried in Duisans British Cemetery, Etrun, Pas De Calais, France, plot 6, row G, grave 54.  He was the son of Joseph Thompson of Ballydrain, Dunmurry.

THOMPSON, Lance Corporal James.  Served in 14 RIR (YCV).  He died at “home” on the 27.9.21 and is buried in Broomhedge (St. Matthew’s) Parish Church graveyard.  He was the son of Thomas Edward, who died on the 21.9.33, and Jane Hinds Thompson, who died on the 12.10.41.

THOMPSON, Sergeant Johnston Hunter.  He may have had a Lisburn address but definitely served in 1 IG (1770?) in Belgium and France throughout the Great War and may have been wounded in September or October 1916.  He died from the effects of war service on 9.3.21 age 37.  His death is commemorated on the Memorial Window in Railway Street Presbyterian Church, Lisburn.

 

THOMPSON, Rifleman Joseph George.  Born and living in Culcavey, Hillsborough, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 13 RIR (2370).  KIA on the Somme on the 28.6.16 aged 22, he and 13 colleagues in his company were killed (10 immediately and 4 later of wounds) by a German shell which landed amongst them as they paraded in Martinsart village square to go on duty.  They were all buried in Martinsart British Cemetery plot 1, row A.  There is no headstone inscription.  All Commonwealth War Graves Commission entries for these men give grave 1, presumably it is a communal grave.  Of the 14, 7 are on this list, CSM Beaston and Riflemen A.V. Crangle, R. Crawley, S. Hamilton, G. Heenan, T. Mercer and J.G. Thompson.  Joseph Thompson was the fourth son of Moses and Ellen Jane Thompson of 8 Arthur Street, Hillsborough, and Culcavey.  All five of their sons had enlisted, three of whom were killed.  The other two were Moses and Robert John, below, in January 1916 and May 1917 respectively.

THOMPSON, Rifleman Moses.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he enlisted at Lisburn, and served in 2 RIR (5242).  He DoW in France on the 21.1.16 and is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, France, plot 2, row C, grave 73.  The headstone inscription reads, “In loving memory of a much loved son”.  He was the son of Moses and Ellen Jane Thompson of 8 Arthur Street, Hillsborough, and Culcavey.  All five of their sons had enlisted, three of whom were killed.  The other two were Joseph George (above) in June 1916 and Robert John, below, in May 1917.

THOMPSON, Rifleman Moses.  Born in Dromara or Dromore, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 10 RIR (17021).  He died at “home” on the 12.2.15 age 39 and is buried in Dromara First Presbyterian Churchyard, grave 211A.  He was the son of Robert and Annie Thompson (nee Scott), and husband of Martha Thompson of 14 Balmoral Street, Belfast.

 

THOMPSON, Rifleman Robert John.  Born in and enlisted at Hillsborough, Co. Down, he served in 12 RIR (1038).  He DoW in Belgium on the 29.5.17 aged 40 and is buried in Dranoutre Military Cemetery, Belgium, plot 1, row J, grave 13.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of Moses and Elizabeth Jane Thompson of 8 Arthur Street, Hillsborough, and Culcavey.  All five of their sons had enlisted, three of whom were killed.  The other two (above) were Moses in January 1916 and Joseph George in June 1916.

THOMPSON, Rifleman Thomas.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he lived in Culcavey, Hillsborough, enlisted at Lisburn, and served in 13 RIR (18820).  Possibly listed as wounded in September 1917, perhaps at Langemarck the previous month, he DoW in France on the 10.10.17 aged 27 and is buried in Wimereux, Communal Cemetery, Wimereux, France, plot 6, row C, grave 32.  The headstone inscription reads, “O for the touch of a vanished hand, and the sound of a voice that is still”.  He was the son of Thomas and Mary (Minnie) Thompson of Ravarnette, Lisburn and Hillsborough, Co. Down.  They included the following poem with the death notice for their son which appeared in the Herald on the 3.11.17.  “It was hard to lose our dear son, But God, who knoweth best, Held out His loving arms and said, Come unto me and rest”.  One of his brothers was also on active service.

THOMPSON, Rifleman William Henry.  Born in Lambeg, he lived at Grand Street on the Low road, Lisburn.  Before the war he was a machine boy at Barbour’s Mill in Hilden, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR (6443).  KIA in Belgium on on the 31.5.17, he is buried in Lindenhoek Chalet Military Cemetery, Belgium, plot 1, row 1, grave 15.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the eldest son of John and Jane Thompson of 126 Grand Street, Low Road, Lisburn.  Captain Robert Kelso a Presbyterian Chaplain wrote to Mrs. Thompson the day after his death saying that, “It was my sad duty to-day to bury your son … and I must write to say how much I feel for you in you sorrow.  He was killed last night whilst on duty near the trenches, and was laid to rest to-day in a military cemetery behind the lines.  It was not my privilege to know your lad, but his Company Commander (who attended the funeral) expressed himself in very high terms as to your boy’s worth as a soldier.  He seems to have been a general favourite in the Battalion and both officers and men are much grieved at his death. … You have every reason to be proud of his record of courage and loyalty, and you can thank God that you ‘mothered a man’.  Now that he has gone try to think of him as transferred on promotion to the Company of the Redeemed in Glory and still on active service in the presence of the King Himself”.  Following his death his parents inserted a death notice in the Herald on the 16 June 1917 including with it a poem which read, “He little thought when leaving home, It would be his last good-bye, But some day we hope to meet him, In that happy home on high”.  One of his brothers was also on active service.

TODD, Private Francis (Frank).  Born in Lambeg, he lived at 32 Wesley Street, Low Road, Lisburn, enlisted in the town and served in 11 RIR (2199) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Subsequently transferred to 108 Co. MGC(I) (17700) he was KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 19.  Buried in the A.I.F. Burial Ground, Grass Lane, Flers, France, plot 15, row A, grave 11 beside Rifleman J. Stevenson, above.  He was the son of William and Annie Todd of 32 Wesley Street, Low Road, Lisburn and grandson of W. and J. Smith of 6 Eagle Terrace, Low Road, Lisburn.  The headstone inscription reads, “Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away.  His sorrowing mother”.  The A.I.F. Burial Ground is some way from area where 11 RIR were engaged on the 1.7.16.  He is probably buried there because of the concentration of graveyards or the late discovery of his body.  His parents also had the following poem included in an In Memoriam notice published in the Herald on the 30.6.17.  “Oh! For the touch of a vanished hand, Oh! For that voice so sweet; Oh! For a glimpse of that heavenly land, Where our loved one we shall meet”.  Two years later on the 28 June 1919 they had another notice published in the same paper.  “Call it not death, it is life begun, The waters are crossed, a home is won; Away from all wars, toil and strife, To be with Jesus, yes, this is life.  Friends may forget him, But mother will never; He will dwell in my heart till life’s journey is done.  Lord teach me to live that when my days are ended, I’ll be met at the gates by my hero son”.  His grandparents William and Mrs. A.J. Smith who lived at 6 Eagle Terrace, Low Road, Lisburn, had the following inserted in the same issue.  “We shall sleep, but not forever, There will be a glorious dawn; We shall meet to part, no never, On the resurrection morn”.

TODD, Private James Lowry.  Born in Lambeg, Co. Antrim, he lived at Patrick, Glasgow, enlisted at Glasgow and served in 1 RIrF (29248).  He DoW in France on the 7.11.18 and is buried in Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille, France, plot 7, row D, grave 6.  There is no headstone inscription.

TOLERTON, Rifleman George.  Born in Magheragall, Co. Antrim, he lived in Portadown, where, before the war he was employed by the Great Northern Railway Company.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in 14 RIR (6050).  KIA on the Somme on the 6.5.16, he is buried in Authuile Military Cemetery, France, row D, grave 48.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the eldest son of Private Thomas and Jane Tolerton,  Knocknarea, Magheragall, and brother of James Tolerton, below.  His father and another brother also served.  His wife and two children lived in Portadown.

TOLERTON, Rifleman James.  Born in Magheragall, where he worked in the postal service, he lived in Lisburn, enlisted at Magheragall, and served in 9 RIR (6462).  Reported MIA and, a year later in July 1917, confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 29, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  He was the eldest son of private Thomas and Jane Tolerton of Knocknarea, Magheragall, and brother of George Tolerton, above.  His father and another brother were on active service at the time of his death.

 

TOLERTON, Rifleman Robert.  Born and living in Magheragall, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Lisburn, where he may also have lived, and served in B Company 11 RIR (6641) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Reported missing on the 16.7.16 and subsequently, in May or June 1917, confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 20, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  He was the second son of John and Margaret Tolerton of Beechill, Magheragall, Lisburn.  Robert Tolerton’s death is also commemorated on his parents’ and grandmother’s headstones in the Quaker burial ground at Maghabery.  The inscription reads, “Robert Tolerton, KIA in the Battle of the Somme in France 1.7.16 age 20 years”.  His grandmother, Eliza Ann Tolerton died on the 27.5.1880 aged 49.  His father, John, died on the 9.1.19 aged 62 and his mother, Margaret on the 3.3.37 aged 79.

TOMAN, Rifleman Henry.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he lived at Ravarnette, enlisted at Lisburn and served in D Company 11 RIR (2219) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, he is buried in Mill Road Cemetery, France, plot 3, row D, grave 5.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the husband of Minnie Toman of Tannaghbrick, Lisburn who only received confirmation of her husband’s death in November 1916.  They had two children.

TONER, Private Thomas.  Born in Ligoniel, Belfast, he lived at Ballysillan and Moira.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in CR (3936) before transferring to 7/8 RIrF (21039).  KIA in Belgium on the 24.7.17 age 19, he is buried in Vlamertinghe New Military Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium, plot 3, row H, grave 18.  He was the son of James and Isabella Toner of 15 Limepark Street, Ballysillan, Belfast.

 

TOOLE, Private Edward.  Born and living in Lisburn, he was “an old soldier” with twelve years experience in 1 RIrF before the war began.  He enlisted at Lurgan and served in 1 RIrF (8475).  KIA in France on the 12.10.16 aged 33, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, face A.  He was the husband of Emily Toole of 12 Church Street, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.  They had five young children.  The death notice inserted by his wife in the Standard for the 1.12.16 included a poem which read, “It’s hard to part with those we love. Though parting days will come; Yet let us hope to meet above, For this is not our home”.

TOPPING, Private Henry.  Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Portadown and served in B Company 2 ELR (9443).  KIA in Belgium on the 9.5.15 aged 26, his death is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium and on Lisburn War Memorial as Private H. Lovie, his mother’s name.  He was the son of Mrs. Alice Lovey of 45 Young Street, Lisburn.  On the 9 April a letter appeared in the Standard from, “a few Lisburn chaps at the front” who had been involved in the fighting at Neuve Chapelle.  The signatories were Riflemen R. Smith, Sharkey, Cree, and Brown of 1 RIR and Private Love (alias Henry Topping) of the ELR.  They had written to express their sympathies with the family of Jack Kirkwood (see above) who had died on the 23 March.  Five weeks later on the 14 May another letter from “the lads of Lisburn now at the front” appeared.  In it they thanked “the girls of the Railway Hotel Lisburn” for comforts they had sent out.  By the time that it was published, three of the signatories, Henry Topping, East Lancs, Robert Smith and Henry Brown, were dead.  None has a known grave, they are commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Belgium.

TOPPING, Corporal Henry.  Living in Lisburn and before the war had worked for the Great Northern Railway in the engine-shop at Windsor.  He was also a member of the UVF.  He served in 11 RIR (11/18838) along with his uncle Samuel Topping (below) with whom he embarked as a rifleman for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  A note in the Standard on the 24.8.17 report that there was “much anxiety” about him following the attack at Langemarck.  He was subsequently reported KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 aged 20, the same day as his uncle Samuel Topping.  A letter from Captain Ellis to his parents described how he, “was killed by a fragment from a shell which burst close to his section during the first ten minutes of our advance on the 16^th.  Everything possible was done for him at the time but he passed away a few minutes afterwards, apparently suffering no pain.  It will comfort you in the hour of your sad bereavement to know that he died doing his duty nobly and faithfully to the end.”  His death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Addenda Panel.  He was the son of Henry and Mary Topping of 6 Walton Place, Longstone Street, Lisburn.  His brother Sergeant Thomas Topping who served in the IG and, before the war had been a policeman and “noted athlete”, was wounded in August 1917 but survived after being treated in hospital in Kent and was home on leave in August 1917.  He appears to have been commissioned into the RIR and after the war lived with his wife Lena, firstly at 60 Penrith Street, Belfast, although by 1920 their address had changed to RIC (Depot), Dublin.  His two sisters, Sarah Jefferson and Lena Montgomery lived with their husbands at 20 Benson Street and Church Street, Lisburn respectively.  In the Standard, Henry Topping’s parents and siblings all inserted notices to him “In Memoriam” on the 15 August 1919.  The next day on the second anniversary of his death they remembered his passing in the Herald.  From his parents, “He gave his life for us.  Still sadly missed”.  From Sarah and Walter Jefferson “Sadly missed, Ever remembered”.  Lena and Charles Montgomery wrote, “Now the great peace day is here, But his Peace Day is won.  Deeply regretted” while from Thomas and Lena Topping, “We mourn for you dear brother, but not with outward show; For the heart that mourns sincerely, Mourns silently and low”.

TOPPING, Rifleman Samuel.  Born in Blaris, he lived and enlisted at Lisburn and served in A Company 11 RIR (7281) along with his nephew Henry Topping (above) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Reported MIA on the Somme on the 16.7.16 and wounded in September 1916, the Standard for 31.8.17 noted that, “it is unofficially reported that he was seen to fall” in the attack at Langemarck.  He was subsequently reported as KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17, aged 45, the same day as his nephew Henry, above.  His death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140.  He was the husband of Annie Topping of 27 or 44 Millbrook Road, Low Road, Lisburn.  On the second anniversary of his death in 1919 Henry Topping’s parents (see above), Henry and Mary Topping of 6 Walton Place, Longstone Street, Lisburn, remembered his passing in the In Memoriam notice which they placed in the Herald commemorating their son.

TOPPING, Rifleman S.  His death is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial but there is no positive trace so far.  There are two S. Toppings on the town memorial and the absence of information on the second suggests a possible duplication.

TOTTEN, Rifleman William.  Born in Belfast, he lived in Lisburn where he was employed by James McNally, a contractor of Bachelors’ Walk in the town, with whom he was serving his time as a bricklayer.  He enlisted, and served in A Company 11 RIR (6407) and embarked with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Reported MIA on the 16.7.16 and subsequently, in June 1917, confirmed as having been KIA on the Somme on 1.7.16 aged 19, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  He was the son of John Totten of 18 Chapel Hill, Lisburn who included the following poem with the death notice they placed in the Herald on the 30 June 1917.  “The news was sad, the blow was hard, God’s will it shall be done; With a manly heart he did his part, My dear-beloved son.  Wounded, dying in a foreign land, No mother by to take his hand, No sister near to shed a tear, No brother his last word to hear”.

TOTTON, Rifleman James.  Born in Lisburn, where he had an Antrim Street address and where he had enlisted in the regular army ten years before the war, he served in 1 RIR (8418 or 8414).  Seven of his ten years service were spent in India where he was stationed when hostilities began in August 1914.  Returning to Britain with his battalion towards the end of the year, he was allowed only 24 hours leave which he spent with his parents before proceeding to the front.  Frostbitten shortly after going out, he recovered, and an article in the Lisburn Standard on the 25.2.16 records that he and Samuel Troughton (below) had taken part in a concert in a dug-out.  Totten’s contribution was “Where are the boys of Antrim Lane?” while Troughton did a duet, “When I get back to Lisburn town” with Rifleman J. McGann.  Neither Totton nor Troughton were to get back to Lisburn.  James Totton DoW on the Somme on the 3.7.16 from injuries received on the 1^st, he was 30 years of age.  Buried in Puchevillers British Cemetery, France, plot 1, row B, grave 23, he was the son of Alexander and Mary Jane Totton of Lisburn, Co. Antrim.  His brother Rifleman John Totton also served with a regular battalion of the RIR.  Like James, he had been frostbitten early in the war and by the summer of 1916 was at the front for the third time.  Possibly wounded again in the Spring of 1918, he appears to have survived the war.  Their grandfather too had been a regular soldier, serving in the army for 21 years.

TREANOR, Private Charles.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in CR (2407) or the RIrF before transferring to the 197^th LC (513933).  KIA in France on the 19.5.18, he is buried in Blargies Communal Cemetery and Extension, France, plot 1, row E, grave 2.

TREANOR, James.  His death is commemorated on Hilden War Memorial, however, there is no positive trace so far.

TROUGHTON, Rifleman Samuel.  Born in and enlisted at Lisburn, he served in 1 RIR (1122).  An article in the Lisburn Standard on the 25.2.16 records that he and James Totton (above) took part in a concert in a dug-out.  Totten’s contribution was “Where are the boys of Antrim Lane?” while Troughton did a duet “When I get back to Lisburn town” with rifleman J. McGann.  Neither Totton nor Troughton were to get back to Lisburn.  He was KIA on the Somme on the 27.6.16 and is buried in Aveluy Communal Cemetery Extension, France, row B, grave 39.  There is no headstone inscription.

TROUSDALE, Private Frederick H.  Born in Dromara Co. Down, he lived in Dromara, and Gransha, enlisted at Clandeboye, and served in 13 RIR (18/608).  He was KIA or died in hospital in France on the 13.3.16 age 25 and is buried in Le Treport Military Cemetery, Seine-Maritime, France, plot 1, row N, grave 8.  He was the son of James and Matilda Hamilton Trousdale.

 

TROUTEN, Rifleman Adam.  Born and living in Dunmurry, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 11 RIR (1035).  On the 16 July 1916 the battalion Adjutant reported that he had been taken prisoner.  Over a month later the Standard described him as being “Missing, believed [a] prisoner of war”.  Adam Trouten was not to be seen again.  He had been KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 and has no known grave.  His death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and Face 15 A and B.

TURLEY, Rifleman John.  Born in Blaris, Co. Antrim, he lived in Belfast, enlisted at Lisburn and served in 1 RIR (3932).  KIA in Belgium on the 31.7.17 aged 34, his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Belgium, panel 40.  He was the husband of Annie Turley of 107 Cyprus Street, Belfast.

TURNER, Rifleman George.  Born in Ballinamore, Co. Down, he lived at Mossview, Lisnatrunk, Lisburn, and before the war had worked in Hilden.  He enlisted at Belfast and served in 10 RIR (1652) but by March 1918 was attached to the 21^st entrenching battalion.  This unit was defending a bridge crossing on the Somme canal near the village of Pithon, just east of Ham in France, when the Germans launched their Spring offensive on the 21^st March 1918.  They seized it in early morning mists on the 23^rd.  George Turner was KIA that day and has no known grave.  His death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France, panels 74-6.  He was the son of Robert Turner of 2 Moss View, Lisnatrunk, Lisburn who may have been a foreman hackle-maker at Hilden Mills.  Three other sons also served in the army.  Robert, also in the RIR, who may have lived on the Hillhall Road, Lisburn and been wounded on the 1.7.16.  At the time of George’s death he was in hospital in England recovering from wounds received in March 1918.  Samuel was in hospital in Dublin recovering from wounds received three months previously, while the third son was still serving at the front with the Ulster Division having come through all the big engagements unscathed.

UPRICHARD, Rifleman Joseph.  Born in Moira, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RIR (75).  KIA in Belgium on the 6.9.18 age 33, his death is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium, panel 9.  He was the son of William and Jane Uprichard of Moira, Co. Down, and husband of Margaret Uprichard of 24 Templemore Street, Belfast.  His death is also commemorated on the family headstone in St. John’s Parish church graveyard, Moira.  His wife Margaret died on the 15.5.1933.

VERNER, Rifleman Thomas.  Born in Shankill, Co. Antrim, he lived at the Maze, Hillsborough, Co. Down, enlisted at Lisburn and embarked for France with B Company 11 RIR in October 1915.  Wounded on the Somme on the 1.7.16, he subsequently transferred to 12 RIR (19238).  He DoW in France on the 28.10.18 aged 27 and is buried in Terlincthun British Cemetery, France, plot 6, row D, grave 55.  The headstone inscription reads, “One of the unreturned, one of the noble dead, faithful unto death”.  He was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Verner of Halftown, Hillsborough, Co. Down.

VERSCHURE, Trooper Antonie J.  A native of Coutrai in Belgium where his father and grandfather were prominent flaxgrowers, they had a long business connection with the firm of William Barbour and Sons, the linen thread manufacturers at Hilden.  He came to Ireland in 1912 to serve his apprenticeship with them, and during that time, lived in Wallace Avenue.  An athlete of some talent, or as the Herald put it, “a capital middle distance man”, he trained with Ulsterville Harriers and had considerable success at athletics meetings in both Ireland and Belgium.  On the outbreak of war he lost contact with his parents and other members of his family, and volunteered for service with the Belgian army.  However, he was turned down because he was too young and was sent back to Ireland.  On reaching military age he was called up and returned to Belgium where he served in the Cavalry.  He visited Lisburn in December 1916 while on leave but was KIA shortly after, probably early in 1917. According to the reports of his death in both the Herald and the Standard, he was “shot through the eye and death was instantaneous”.  His death is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial.

VINT, Rifleman William John.  Born and living in Dromore, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 15 RIR (1399).  KIA in Belgium on the 13.8.17 age 19, his death is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memoria, Belgium, panel 40.  He was the son of Robert Vint of Tullyniskey, Dromara, Co. Down, and the late Isabella Jane Vint.

WALKER, Lieutenant Claud Arthur Leonard.  Lived at Hillsborough and was educated at B.R.A.  He joined the Public Schools’ Corps in September 1914 and shortly afterwards was nominated to a cadetship in the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.  He received his commission in the 2 RInF in May 1915 and two months later, on July 12^th, left to join his battalion in France.  He was KIA on the 10.7.16 aged 21 and is buried in Bouzincourt Communal Cemetery extension, France, plot 1, row B, grave 2.  The headstone inscription reads, “Underneath are the everlasting arms”.  He was the second son of the Rev. Dr. R. Walker LL.D., rector of St. Matthew’s, Shankill, Belfast, and Mrs. L.J.T. Walker of Belfast.

WALKER, Lance corporal G.F.  His death is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial, however, there is no positive trace so far.

WALKER, Lance corporal George F.  Born at Blaris, Co. Antrim, before the war he kept goal for Ashmount F.C., was a member of LOL 207 and of the UVF.  He enlisted at Lisburn and served in B Company 11 RIR (2193) embarking with them as a rifleman for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1 July 1916 aged 30, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15A or B.  He was the husband of Lizzie Walker of Quay Street, Back Lane and Sloan Street, Lisburn, and son of Thomas and brother of Sarah, Maggie, Thomas and Charles Walker of 42 Wesley Street, Low Road, Lisburn.  His brothers were on active service.  On the 5 July 1919 his wife had the following notice published in the Herald.  “Could I, his wife, have clasped his hand, The one I loved so well; And kissed his brow, when death was nigh, And whisered – George farewell”.

WALKER, Private Henry.  Born in Dromara, Co. Down, he enlisted at Coatbridge and served in 1 Cameronians SR (B/7175).  KIA in France on the 21.4.16, he is buried in Cambrin Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, row E, grave 20.  He was the son of Ellen Walker of Muninabane, Dromara, Co. Down, and the late George Walker.

WALKER Joseph.  Civilian.  A reservist, he was also a member of Lisburn Mechanics LOL 557 and of the UVF in which he was a drill instructor.  Called up, he served as a sergeant in the IG, but was discharged in March 1917 after being wounded and because of a heart condition.  Subsequently finding employment as a lathe operator in a munitions factory in England (possibly in or near Hayes) where his wife also worked, he was accidentally killed there on the 10.9.17.  He died, along with a fellow workman called Moorey when a belt of the drive shaft of one of the machines in the factory came off.  Moorey tried to put it back on when the machine was still running but it became tangled round a wheel and pulled part of two drive shafts from their bearings.  These fell on the two men.  Moorey was killed instantly as the result of a skull fracture.  Walker was still alive when a Dr. W.D. Hopkins arrived at about 5 0’clock and was taken to Hayes Cottage Hospital where he died at about 8 o’clock that evening from a fractured skull and lacerations to the brain.  The eldest son of the late R.J. and Mrs. A.B. Walker of 6 Ivan Street, Lisburn, his death is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial.  In a letter to his mother, Sergeant Major William Holmes D.C.M. wrote, “On behalf of a few Lisburn men and myself of the Irish Guards I wish to express deepest sympathy in the irreparable loss which you have sustained in the loss of your son … late of the Irish Guards. … I had personal experience, and can vouch for his worth and popularity both with the Expeditionary Force and since he returned to this the home station.  He was most popular with his comrades, and all those in authority found him always to be a man never lacking in the execution of his duty.  The officers wish to associate themselves with this expression of sincerest sympathy”.

WALKER, Major James Robert M.C.  He joined the army in about 1892 and served for 20 years in “C” Bty. Royal Horse Artillery.  Heavily involved in Naval and Military tournaments at Olympia in London, he acted as Standard Bearer to the King during Army manoeuvres in September 1913.  Commissioned at the start of the war he was given command of “B” Bty. 62nd Bde., RFA.  Mentioned in Dispatches twice, he was awarded the M.C. early in 1916.  KIA on the 20.3.17 age 40, he is buried in Faubourg d’Amiens Cemetery, Arras, Pas de Calais, France, plot 3, row H, grave 30.  He was the son of the late Thomas and Mrs. L. Walker of Ballinderry and a nephew of R. Walker of Stoneyford.  His wife, May Walker, lived at Greylands, Christchurch, Hants with their two children.  Two brothers, Major R.Y.K. Walker and Lieutenant Richard Walker also served in the RFA, both appear to have survived the war.

WALLACE, Lance Corporal James.  Served in the RIR and lived in Dunmurry.  Reported missing, there is no further trace so far.

WALSH, Corporal D.  Commemorated on Lisburn and possibly Hilden War Memorials, there is no positive trace so far.

WALSH Lance corporal David.  Born in Blaris Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 2 RIR (5205).  Involved in a number of engagements early in the war he also took part in the Christmas “truce” in 1914 in which British and German troops fraternised in no-mans–land.  During it, “a German officer gave him a German field postcard, suitably inscribed to mark the unique occasion”.  In the Spring of 1915 his brother Willie who was also in “France” serving with the Rifles, had written to their mother saying that he (David) had, “a mild touch of fever [but] not to be downhearted [as] he would be all right”.  He wasn’t.  David Walsh died from enteric fever (typhoid) in 3 General Hospital, France on the 10.4.15 aged 22.  Shortly afterwards, the Rev F.F.S. Smithwick also wrote to Mrs. Walsh from France, about her son’s death.  “I expect you have heard before this of the death of your son”, he began, “the poor little fellow had a long struggle for life, and everything possible was done for him; but it is God’s will to take him to Himself.  He was so good and patient that he endeared himself to everyone here, and we were all sorry when he died.  He has given his young life for his King and country.  I buried him in the cemetery here at Le Treport, where he lies peacefully beside many a comrade in arms.  May God give you the comfort which He alone can, and may He spare your other son [Willie] to come home to you”.  He didn’t, nor did he spare her third son Thomas, all three were to be dead before the war was over.  David Walsh is buried in Le Treport Military Cemetery, France, plot 1, row C, grave 2.  He was the son of David and Jane Walsh of 21 Hill Street, Lisburn, and brother of Riflemen Thomas and William Walsh, below.

WALSH, Rifleman John Herbert.  Born in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 15 RIR (1840).  KIA in Belgium on the 4.8.17, his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Belgium, panel 40.

 

WALSH, Rifleman Thomas.  Born in and enlisting at Lisburn, he served in 7 RIR (5414).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 aged 20, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-40.  He was the son of Mrs. Jane Walsh of 21 Hill Street, Lisburn, and brother of Lance Corporal David Walsh, above, and Rifleman William Walsh, below.  On the 29 December 1916 a letter from him to the secretary of the Hilden-Lambeg Work association thanking them for comforts he had received, appeared in the Standard.  “I received you[r] kind parcel alright.  Many thanks to you and the ladies of the Association for their kindness to me, and also the good work they are doing for the lads at the front.  I also wish to thank Miss Lizzie Walker for the socks she knitted; they were a very nice pair.  I thank her very much for spending her spare time knitting them”.

WALSH, Rifleman W.  His death is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial, however, there is no positive trace so far.

WALSH, Rifleman William (Willie).  Born in Lisburn where he lived at Hill Street, he had enlisted at Belfast before the war and was serving with 1 RIR (9266) in India when hostilities began.  He returned to the U.K. with his battalion in November 1914 before being sent to the Western Front.  Apart from a few days leave, he was to serve there until his death.  Writing from the front to one of his brothers, probably, in February 1915, he observed that, “They call this place ‘Sunny France’.  I don’t know who named it, as I haven’t seen the sun since I came out here over four months ago”.  On a more serious note, he added, “The battalion is greatly changed.  There are only 265 of us left of the 1000 who came from abroad”.  Almost exactly a year after his letter appeared in the Standard, Willie Walsh too was dead, KIA in France on the 20.3.16 aged 28.  According to the Rev. T.H. Lee, the Army Chaplain who wrote to inform Mrs. Walsh, her son’s “death was instantaneous”.  Mrs. Walsh, “was overwhelmed with grief”.  Willie was the second son she had lost.  He is buried in Rue-Du-Bois Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix, France, plot 1, row E, grave 40.  The headstone inscription reads, “We mourn the loss of those so dear our hearts are sad today.  Their loving mother”.  He was the son of David and Jane Walsh of 21 Hill Street, Lisburn, and brother of Lance Corporal David and Rifleman Thomas Walsh, above.  Willie Walsh had written to his mother shortly before David’s death trying to reassure her that his illness was not serious.  The proprietor of the Standard also used this letter, which was published on the 16 April 1915, to add a little weight to the recruitment campaign.  “Young Walsh expresses himself very strongly” he observed, “as regards men eligible to join the army who are still ‘kicking about Lisburn’, and adds that if the home people only half realised what this war means not an eligible man worthy of the name of man but would rush to the colours”.  At the time of William Walsh’s death his mother still had two sons serving at the front.

WARD, Rifleman/Bugler Samuel (Sam).  Born in and living at 8 Sandymead, Longstone Street, Lisburn, he was a member of the Church Lads Brigade F.C.  He enlisted at Lisburn, and served in A Company 11 RIR (19292) with whom he embarking for France from Bordon in October 1915.  Wounded in June or early July 1916, he DoW from gas in Belgium on the 1.9.16 aged 19 and is buried in Ration Farm, La Plus Douve Cemetery Annex, Ploegsteert, Belgium, plot 2, row C, grave 25 beside Riflemen T.J. McClure and W. Lamont, of 11 RIR.  McClure was killed by gas on the same day.  The headstone inscription reads, “We shall go to him but he shall not return to us. 2 Sam. Ch. 2 V. 23”.  He was the son of Matthew and Mary Ward of 8 Sandymead, Longstone Street, Lisburn who inserted a poem in the Standard on the 22 September 1916 mourning his death.  A year later on the 1 September 1917, they remembered his passing in the Herald.  Two brothers Sergeant James who lived at 9 Ivan Street, Lisburn with his wife Edith, and Rifleman Thomas Ward, 11 RIR (19291), also served.  Thomas, from Longstone Street, was reported wounded in July 1916.  He had embarked for France with Samuel in October 1915.  With consecutive service numbers, had they also joined up together?  One of his brothers and sister-in-law lived at 43 Church Street, Lisburn.

WARING, Rifleman James.  Born and living in Dunmurry, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in B Company 11 RIR (19290) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Reported wounded in the Belfast News Letter on the 5.7.16 he DoW on the Somme on the 30.6.16 age 24 and is buried in Puchevillers British Cemetery, Somme, France, plot 1, row A, grave 10.  He was the son of Samuel and Mary Anne Waring of Dunmurry, Co. Antrim.  In August 1916 a Sgt. G.D. Waring from Dunmurry, who served in the RIR, was reported as wounded.  His service number 19289 was consecutive with James Waring’s.  A Sergeant George Dickson Waring also embarked with 11 RIR from Bordon for France in October 1915.  Could they have been brothers who joined up together?

WARING, Lance Corporal James Banks.  Born and living in Dunmurry, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in B Company 11 RIR (19285) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  KIA in Belgium on the 23.5.17 age 20, he is buried in Pond Farm Cemetery, Belgium row N, grave 10.  He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. James Waring of 6 Church View, Dunmurry.

WARING, Rifleman John.  Born in Blaris, he lived in Bullick’s Court, Linenhall Street, Lisburn and was employed as a painter by Moses Bullick a well known businessman who had premises in Belfast and Lisburn.  He enlisted in the town and served in D Company 11 RIR (2255) as did his brother Alfred with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  He DoW in Millicent Southerland Hospital, France on the 26.10.16 aged 38 and is buried in Calais Southern Cemetery, France, plot F, row 1, grave 9.  He appears to have been the son of Mary Waring a widow who lived at 9 Bullick’s Court, Lisburn and who had two sons serving at the front.  She was found dead in her home on the 9 March 1916 after having fallen down the stairs.  Alfred Waring, John’s brother was wounded on the 1.7.16 and subsequently was posted to Tipperary, he survived the war and commemorated his brother’s death on their mother’s headstone in Lisburn Cemetery.  A sister Mrs. Agnes Downey lived at Derrycrew, Loughgall while a second, Mary Ellen Waring, lived in Donaghadee.  She subsequently die in the United States in 1920.  As for Moses Bullick, he died at his home in Railway Street, Lisburn on the 14.12.16.

WARING, Rifleman William Boomer.  Born in Lisburn where he lived and was a member of the UVF, he enlisted in the town at the start of the war and was accepted into 11 RIR (19286) even though he was underage.  Given the option of remaining behind in October 1915 when his battalion embarked for France from Bordon, he refused and insisted on going with his friends and brother CQMS Tom Waring to the front.  Subsequently transferred to 12 RIR 19286 when 11 and 11/13 RIR were disbanded in 1917, his parents concerns for his safety increased with the onset of the German offensive in March 1918.  Their fears were heightened by the absence of any communication from him and his brother’s unable to find out any news of him.  Eventually in May his sister, Mrs. Johnson-Smyth of Ingram, Lisburn received a letter from an officer in the 90 Field Company, Royal Engineers in which he wrote, “It is with the greates regret that I write to tell you the sad news contained in this letter, but I feel it my duty to let you know in case you are in suspense.  I am sorry to inform you that a man belonging to my Company … brought to me to-day (24/4/18) an identification of a soldier whom they had found killed and buried; and from a letter found I presume it was your brother, 19286 Rifleman William Waring, – Battalion, R.I. Rifles.  I cannot tell you how or when your brother was killed.  All I know is that he was buried in the most deserving way that conditions would permit at the moment.  I might say that I am in an unofficial position.  His C.O. will be informed of full particulars at an early date … but understanding the anxiety of those at home for their brave ones if no news is to hand, I felt it my duty to write.  Please accept my deepest sympathy in your sad bereavement, and I trust that the One who knows all our troubles in this world will give you the strength to bear the burden which He has seen fit to place on you”.

William Waring had been KIA at Kemel Hill, Belgium on the 13.4.18 aged 20. His grave was subsequently lost and his death is now commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 138-140.  He was the son of James and Margaret Christian Boomer Waring from Smithfield and Liswyn, Lisburn.  They died on the 31.10.18 and 10.12.30 respectively and are buried in Derriaghy Parish Church graveyard along with their other children, John (Jack), who died on the 3.9.17 after a “tedious illness”, Christiana who died on the 8.7.64  and Elizabeth Christian Waring who died on the 15.12.70.  James Waring, “a man who was passionately fond of a good horse and there were few better judges of an animal’s qualities” had contracted influenza on the 29 September 1918.  It quickly developed into pneumonia from which he died on the 30^th.  According to the Standard, “The death of his sons [Jack and William] … took more out of him than was seen on the surface and had a good deal to do with the undermining of his hitherto robust constitution”.

WATERHOUSE, Private Albert Victor (“Pat”) M.M.   Born in Lisburn on the 8.9.1888, he was a devout Christian who “took an active part in the Methodist Church and the Welcome Mission in Lisburn”.  Having served his apprenticeship with Mr. Tate, a chemist in Belfast, he was studying to become a medical missionary and had emigrated to Canada in about 1913.  There he was involved in “mission work” for the Methodist Church and was in charge of their mission station at South Salt, Spring Island, Victoria, British Columbia.  In Canada he gave his address as General Post Office, Victoria although whether he lived there or whether this was simply a mailing address is not clear.

Volunteering for service in the Canadian RAMC at Victoria B.C. on the 12.5.1916 aged 27, he was passed fit for overseas service the same day. With no previous military experience, he gave his calling as “Candidate for the Ministry”.  5’ 8” tall he had a 35” chest (fully expanded) with a 3” expansion, dark complexion, blue eyes and dark brown hair.  Posted to the Western Universities, 196 Battalion, RAMC, at the time of his death he was attached to the 46th. CI, SasR (911918).  Having been selected for a commission, he was due to be sent back to England for training on the 1 October, but was KIA in France on the 2.9.18 aged 29, just six days before his thirtieth birthday.

Shortly afterwards it was announced that he had won the MM “for conspicuous bravery and gallantry in carrying out his duties as a stretcher bearer”.  He had, “on a number of occasions dressed the wounded under exceptionally heavy shellfire and continued to do so throughout” military operations between the 8^th and 10^th of August 1918.  This would have been at the start of the Allied offensive that eventually brought the war to an end.

His death took place in similar circumstances less than a month later.  According to Captain F.H. Buck, he was, “doing his best to help others, binding up their wounds and saving many a life by his promptness and skill.  Truly of Victor Waterhouse it may be said, like his Master, ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that he giveth his life for his friends’. … [He] was struck [in the chest] by a shell fragment and … was killed instantaneously and had absolutely no suffering”.  That day the Canadians and XVII Corps had broken through the German defensive system known as the Drocourt-Queant line and the 46^th battalion were attacking the village of Dury that lay behind it.  “He will rest [there] with many more of our gallant comrades,” wrote Private J.L. MacDougall.  “His grave,” he added, “will be decorated with a white wooden cross with ‘Rest in Peace’ in addition to the usual inscription”.

Albert “Pat” Waterhouse is buried in Dury Crucifix Cemetery, France, plot 1, row A, grave 18.  He was the youngest son of Abraham and Sophia Waterhouse of Saw Mills, Lisburn, Co. Antrim and brother of Fred and Henry Waterhouse.  Another brother Robert, whose address was Langford P.O., Vancouver Island, B.C., was given as next of kin at the time of his enlistment.  At the time of Albert’s death, Fred was serving in the army in Africa and Henry with the RE in France.  Both appear to have survived the war.  So too did Captain Frank Hepworth Buck, Sergeant Kenneth? Russell and Private J.L. MacDougall who all wrote to the Waterhouse family about his death.  Their attestation papers are in the Canadian National Archive.

The village of Dury is about 17 kilometres east-south-east of Arras.  Canadians of the 46th and 47th Battalions began the Crucifix Cemetery there immediately after its capture.  By the time of the Armistice just over two months later, it consisted of 72 graves.  They are now in plot I, row A (in which Albert Waterhouse is buried) and row B.  It was later enlarged by the concentration of graves from other cemeteries in the area so it now contains over 2,000 Great War casualties.  Four-fifths of them are unidentified.

WATSON, Corporal David.  Born in Lisburn on Christmas Day 1889, before emigrating to Canada, he was employed by Edward Evans a seed merchant of Bow Street, Lisburn.  In Canada he lived at 64 Aikens Street, Winnipeg, was a police constable by profession and served in the 100^th Winnipeg Grenadiers, the local Malitia.  A single man, he enlisted at Winnipeg on the 4.11.1915 aged 24 years and 10 months as was passed fit for overseas service the same day.  6’ tall he had a 39” chest (fully expanded) with a 4” range of expansion, ruddy complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair.  Posted to the 78 CI MtbaR (148366), he was KIA in France on the 9.4.17 age 27.  His death is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial, Pas de Calais, France.  He was the eldest son of the late Anthony Watson and of Mary Watson of Magheralave, Lisburn.

 

WATSON, Corporal George.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in the 111^th Heavy Battery RGA (21555).  KIA in Belgium on the 20.6.17 aged 30, he is buried in Vormezeele Enclosure No. 3, Belgium, plot 13, row D, grave 14.  The headstone inscription reads, “He fought the good fight and finished his course”. This is the same inscription as that for William Thomas Watson, below.  Could they have been related?  The next of kin details are different, William Thomas’ are his parents, George Watson’s is his wife, but they might still have been brothers.  He was the husband of Mary Watson of 11 Schomberg Street, Belfast.

WATSON, Private John.   Served in the RIR  and is commemorated on the War Memorial in Dunmurry (St. Colman’s) Parish Church.  No further positive trace so far.

WATSON, Rifleman Joseph.  Born in Moira, Co. Down, he lived at Glenavy, Co. Antrim, enlisted at Lisburn, and served in 11 RIR (1284) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Reported MIA and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 19, he is buried in Connaught Cemetery, Thiepval, France, plot 10, row H, grave 7.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the son of Joseph and Margaret Watson of Belfast Road, Glenavy, Co. Antrim.  A letter from his parents requesting information about him appeared in the Standard on the 29.9.16.

WATSON, Private Thomas.  Born and living in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 1 RMF (7551).  KIA in Gallipoli on the 5.7.15, his death is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, panel 21.

WATSON, Rifleman Thomas.  Born in Belfast, he lived in Culcavey, enlisted at Belfast and served in 15 RIR (13824).  KIA on the Somme on the 21.3.18, his death is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France panels 74 and 76.

WATSON, Lance corporal William.  Born in Ballymacarrett, Co. Down, he lived at Culcavey, enlisted at Belfast and served in the Hussars (13796) before transferring to 2 RIrR (8492).  KIA on the Somme on the 3.9.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 3, face A.

WATSON, Rifleman William.  Born in Derriaghy, Co. Antrim, he lived in Dunmurry, enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR (11/19301) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA in Belgium on the 8.6.17 aged 36, he is buried in Spanbroekmolen British Cemetery, Belgium, row B, grave 5.  The headstone inscription reads, “Jesus said, Come unto me and I will give you rest”.  He was the son of James and Ellen Watson of Colin, Dunmurry.

WATSON, Private William John.  Born and living in Hillsborough, Co. Down, he enlisted at Lisburn in 11 RIR (4779), embarking with them as a rifleman for France from Bordon camp in October 1915. Subsequently transferred to 2 RIrF (51833) he DoW in Palestine on the 22.9.18 and is buried in Jerusalem War Cemetery, Palestine, row L, grave 99.  He was the husband of Mary Jane Watson of Ballykeel, Endenagonnell, Hillsborough, Co. Down and possibly the son of James Watson of Ballykeel, Endenagonnel, Hillsborough, Co. Down.

WATSON, Sergeant William Thomas.  Born in the Maze, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 8 RIR (19/140).  KIA in Belgium on the 7.6.17 aged 33, he is buried in Lone Tree Cemetery, Spanbroekmolen, Belgium, plot 1, row B, grave 14.  The headstone inscription reads, “In loving memory.  He fought the good fight and finished his course”.  This is the same inscription as that for George Watson, above.   He was the son of Samuel John and Isabella Watson of 4 and 6 Maxwell Street, Sandy Row, Belfast.  In July 1997 when the Cemetery was visited a small bunch of poppies had been left with a faded note, “[From] your son Frank (or less likely Fred) and his wife”.  Lone Tree Cemetery lies just below the Spanbroekmolen mine crater and contains the remains of many of those from the 36^th and 16^th Divisions killed by the fall-out from the mine which was blown 15 minutes late at the start of the attack on the Messines Ridge in June 1917.

WATTERS, Riflemen William.  Born in Aghalee, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 9 RIR (16086).  He died at “home” on the 18.3.15 age 43 and is buried in Aghalee (Holy Trinity) Churchyard, Soldierstown Road, grave 177.  The headstone inscription reads, “Marvel not that I said unto thee Ye must be born again.  St. John 3.7”.  He was the husband of Margaret Watters of 57 Prince Street, Lurgan.

WATTERSON, Private Joseph.  Born in Shankill, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 6 RInF (4640).  He DoW in France on the 11.11.18 and is buried in Busigny Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, France, plot 2, row B, grave 30.

WEBB, Lance corporal Joseph.  Born and living in Lisburn, possibly at Hilden, he enlisted at Belfast and served in B Company 11 RIR (559) with whom he embarked as a rifleman from Bordon in October 1915.  Wounded on the Somme on the 1.7.16, he survived and was with the battalion when it was stationed in the valley of the Douve at the southern end of the Messiness Ridge in September that year.  On the 29^th they were resting at Grande Munque Farm with and a group of 3 officers and 70 other ranks practising for a raid.  “At 5.30 p.m.”, the next day, (the 30.9.16) the “party was moved up to trenches preparatory to carrying out [the] raid.  At 8 p.m. while bombs were being issued … one accidentally exploded” killing Joseph Webb; he was 21 years old.  Buried in Ration Farm (La Plus Douve) Annexe, Belgium, plot 2, row B, grave 26, he lies beside Captain Arthur Samuels who had been killed six days earlier.  It was on Samuels’ diaries that “With the Ulster Division in France” the history of 11 RIR, was based.  There is no headstone inscription.  He was the second son of John Webb and the late Annie Webb of 2 Richardson’s Row, Hilden, Lisburn.

WEIR, Private Joseph.  Born in Belfast and living at Shaw’s Bridge, he enlisted at Carlisle, Cumbria and served in 11 BR (25397).  KIA on the Somme on the 18.11.16 age 31, he is buried in Waggon Road Cemetery, Beaumont-Hamel, France, row B, grave 1.  He was the son of Joseph and Annie Maria Weir of  “River View”, Shaw’s Bridge, Belfast.

WEIR, Rifleman Thomas.  Born in Maralin, Co. Down, he enlisted at Lisburn and served in 11 RIR (6073) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 age 32, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 70-2.  He was the husband of Elizabeth Weir of Ballyskeagh, Lambeg, Lisburn.

 

WELCH, Rifleman Alexander Colvin (Alex).  Born in Lisburn, he lived at Market Place or 13 Dublin Road, in the town.  Employed at Glenmore, he was a member of the UVF.  He enlisting at Belfast he served in B Company 11 RIR (1013) and embarked with them for France from Bordon in October 1915.  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 aged 24, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 15, faces A/B.  He was the son of Thomas and Catherine Walch of 13 Dublin Road, Lisburn, and a cousin of Private W. Bingham of Antrim Street, Lisburn who was slightly wounded and shell shocked on the 29 June 1916.  His parents inserted a notice of his death in the Standard for 28 July along with a poem to express their grief and commemorated their son’s death on the family headstone in Lisburn Cemetery.  Thomas Welch died in 1921 and Catherine in 1925.

 

WELLS, Rifleman Samuel.  Lived at Lougheran, Lisburn, enlisted at Lisburn and served in 14 RIR (4901).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  Possibly a brother of Thomas Wells, below.  They both came from Lougheran, served in the same battalion and had consecutive service numbers.

WELLS, Rifleman Thomas.  Born in Magheralin, Co. Down, he lived at Lougheran, Lisburn, enlisted at Lisburn, and served in 14 RIR (4902).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  Possibly a brother of  Samuel Wells, above.  They both came from Lougheran, served in the same battalion and had consecutive service numbers.

WETHERS, Rifleman Samuel James.  Born in Maralin Co. Down, he lived at Ballymagarahan, Co. Down, enlisted at Lurgan and served in 16 RIR (650).  KIA in Belgium on the 10.4.17 age 20, he is buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinge, Belgium, plot 11, row C, grave 36A.  He was the son of George and Martha Wethers of Ballymagarahan, Moira, Co. Down.  Ballymagarahan is south east of Moira.

WHEELWRIGHT, Sergeant Charles Joseph.  Born in Stepney, East Middlesex, he lived in Dunmurry, and was a member of Sommerhill LOL 137.  He enlisted at Woolwich and served in 1 RIrF (8877).  KIA in France on the 26.6.17, he is buried in Brown’s Copse Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, plot 6, row D, grave 18.

WHITE, Private William.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Tandragee, enlisted at Belfast and served in 8 Line of Communication Supply Company, RASC (T4.071991).  He died at “home” on the 18.12.16 age 26 and is buried in Tandragee (Meeting House) Presbyterian Churchyard, Co. Armagh.  He was the son of Alexander and Sarah Jane White of Church Street, Tandragee.

WHITTLE, Rifleman John.  Born in Portadown, he lived at Markethill, Co. Armagh and Ballyskeagh, Lambeg.  An employee of the Lambeg Damask Linen Company, he enlisted at Belfast at the outbreak of the war and served in 1 RIR (7521).  KIA in Belgium on the 31.7.17 aged 29, his death is commemorated on the Ypres, Menin Gate, Memorial, Belgium, panel 13.  He was the son of Richard and Mrs. Whittle of Ballyskeagh, Lambeg, and husband of Elizabeth Whittle of Elizabeth Whittle of Clady, Milltown, Co. Armagh and Kilmachugh, Mohan, Co. Armagh.

WILLIAMS, Corporal David Albert.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 12 Battery 35 Brigade RFA (60836).  KIA in Belgium on the 22.10.17 aged 28, he is buried in the Huts Cemetery, Dickebusch, Belgium, plot 13, row D, grave 9.  A number of burials either side were from the RFA and the same battery.  The dates are either the 21^st  or 22^nd.  The headstone inscription reads, “Gone but not forgotten”.   He was the son of Richard and Mary A. Williams of 164 Ravenhill Road, Belfast.  The Huts Cemetery was near gun positions and nearly 2/3’s of the soldiers in it are gunners.  Its name comes from the fact that there was a long line of huts along the road which were used from July to November 1917 for the accommodation of field ambulances.

WILLIAMSON, Rifleman Andrew.  Born in Crumlin, and a member of the Orange Order in Glenavy, he enlisted at Crumlin and served in D Company 11 RIR (5947) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Reported missing on the 16.7.16 and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.

 

WILLIAMSON, Rifleman Frederick.  Born in Lisburn, he lived in Muckamore, enlisted at Antrim and served in 14 RIR (19823).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.

WILLIAMSON, Rifleman Samuel.  Born and living in Crumlin, Co. Antrim, he was a member of the Orange Order in Glenavy, enlisted at Antrim and served in 11 RIR (19804) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  KIA in France on the 1.9.16, he is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, France, plot 2, row F, grave 200.

 

WILLIAMSON, Corporal William John.  Born and living in Crumlin, and a member of the Orange Order in Glenavy, he enlisted at Antrim and served in 11 RIR (19803) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915.  Reported missing and subsequently KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.

 

WILLIS, Rifleman George.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 15 RIR (13866).  KIA on the Somme on the 11.6.16, he is buried in Hamel Military Cemetery, France, plot 1, row D, grave 31.  There is no headstone inscription.

WILLIS, Private (Lance corporal) William.  Born in Lambeg, Co. Down, he enlisted at Belfast and served in the Hussars (13890) before transferring to 2 RIrR (8641).  KIA in France on the 14.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier 3, face A.

WILLS, Private Robert John.  Born in Dublin, he lived in Lambeg and before the war was employed by James Duff and Sons of the Old Hillsborough Road, Lisburn.  He enlisted at Lisburn and served in 2 RInF (11601).  Originally reported missing in May 1916 it was February or March 1916 before it was confirmed that he had been KIA in France on the 16.5.15 aged 23.  His death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France, panel 15.  He was the son of John and Annie Wills of 45 Old Hillsborough Road, Lisburn.  Both his father and brother were serving at the front at the time of his death.

WILLS, Rifleman Samuel.  Born in Glasgow, he lived in Lambeg, enlisted at Lisburn and served in B Company 11 RIR (19343) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon in October 1915.  MIA on the Somme on the 16.7.16 and reported as captured in late September, early October 1916, he had in fact DoW as a PoW in Germany on the 14.7.16.  He is buried in Hamburg Cemetery, Ohlsdorf, Germany, plot 5, row C, grave 2.

WILSON, Bombadier J.  His death is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial, however, there is no positive trace so far.

WILSON, Lance Corporal David James.  Born at Drumlough in Co. Down on the 12.3.1882, he lived at Ballykeel.  A married man, he had emigrated to Canada where he worked as a rancher although his wife’s address was Ballykeel, Dromore, Co. Down.  With no previous military experience, he enlisted at Vancouver B.C. on the 4.12.1914 aged 32 years and 8 months, and was passed fit for overseas service the following day.  5’ 11½“ tall he had a 41½“ chest (fully expanded) with a 4” range of expansion.  His complexion was very fresh, he had dark brown hair, blue eyes and a scar on the bridge of his nose. Posted to 2 CMR BCR (107615) he was serving with them when he DoW in hospital in Boulogne, France on the 7.6.16 age 34.  He is buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Pas De Calais, France, plot 8, row B, grave 91.  He was the son of Samuel and Mary Wilson of Ballykeel, Dromore, Co. Down.  His wife’s name is not known.

WILSON, Private James.  Born in Co. Down on the 3.10.1882, he was single, a farmer and lived at Stubby Hill, Cargycreevy and Wittenburg, Alberta.  With no previous military experience, he enlisted in Calgary, Alberta on the 27.9.1916.  5’ 8” tall with a 36½” chest (fully expanded) and a 2” range of expansion, he had a fresh complexion with dark brown eyes and brown hair.  Passed fit for overseas service on the 3.11.1916 aged 34 years and 1 month, he served in 31 CI, AR (883754).  KIA in France on the 21.8.17 age 34, he is buried in Barlin Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas De Calais, France, plot 3, row D, grave 30.  He was the son of Joseph and Ann Jane Wilson of Stubby Hill, Baileysmill, and Ballykeel, Co. Down.  His death is also commemorated on the family headstone in Cargycreevy Presbyterian churchyard.  His father Joseph died on the 7.2.18 and his mother Ann Jane on the 27.1.29.  His younger brother John Wilson, from Stubby Hill was born in Co. Down on the 1.6.1885.  He also emigrated to Canada and was working as a farmer at Tugaske, Saskatchewan when he enlisted there on the 17.3.1916 aged 30 years and 9 months.  Passed fit for overseas service the same day, he was 5’ 9” tall with a 38” chest (fully expanded), a 3½” range of expansion, fair complexion, blue eyes and auburn hair.  He too was a single man with no previous military experience and appears to have been posted originally to the 203 battalion and then served in the 8^th Canadian Battalion (234328).  He was wounded but seems to have survived the war.

WILSON, Sergeant James.  Born in Lisburn, he lived at Burnbank, Lanarkshire, enlisted at Bordon, Hants and served in 10/11 HLI (19630).  He DoW in Belgium on the 3.8.17 and is buried in Brandhoek New Military Cemetery No. 2, Vlamertinghe, Belgium, plot 3, row B, grave 13.  There is no headstone inscription.  He is buried in the next grave but one to Captain Chavasse V.C. and bar, M.C.

WILSON, Private John.  Born in Ballinderry, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Glenavy and served in RIrR (3383) before transferring to 7/8 RInF (48327).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.9.18, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot memorial, Belgium, panels 70-72.

WILSON, Lance Corporal T.  Served in 2 RIR (1527).  He died in Mesopotamia on the 1.7.21 age 22 and is buried in Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery, Iraq, plot 3, row B, grave 7.  He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Wilson of Kilmakee, Dunmurry.

WILSON, Rifleman William.  Born in Moira, he lived in Maralin Co. Down, enlisted at Banbridge and served in 13 RIR (545).  KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A and B.

WILSON, Lieutenant William Alderdice.  A member of Lisnagarvey Hockey Club, he was employed as a flax buyer with William Barbour and Sons at Hilden and for five years before the war was the firm’s representative at Coutrai, the center of the Belgian flax industry.  He returned home after the outbreak of the war and, on the 8.1.16, received his commission in the RIR through QUB OTC.  In June that year he was sent out to France where he served with 14 RIR (YCV).  Invalided home, he was posted to a reserve battalion at Newtownards and following the recovery of his health, was transferred to the 1/7 King’s African Rifles.  Promoted to Lieutenant on the 8.7.17, he was sent to British East Africa shortly after.  Expected home in mid-April 1919, he had written to his parents telling them not to write any more as he was about to leave East Africa.  He never did, he was on his way to the port to embark when he was struck down by malaria.  He died in hospital in Nairobi on the 6.4.19 aged 27 and is buried in Nairobi South Cemetery, Kenya, plot 3, row B, grave 5.  He was the son of William Richard and Thomasina Wilson of Tintern, Lisburn.

WOODS, Private J.  His death is commemorated on Lisburn War Memorial, however, there is no positive trace so far.

WOODS, Rifleman James.  Born in Blaris, he lived on the Belsize Road, Lisburn, enlisted at Clandeboye and served in B Company 11 RIR (7273) with whom he embarked for France from Bordon Camp in October 1915. Listed as wounded and missing, and subsequently, in April or May 1917, as KIA on the Somme on the 1.7.16 age 21, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, pier and face 15 A/B.  He was the son of Private Thomas and Sara Woods of the Belsize Road and 6 Low Road, Lisburn.  His father was a regular soldier who was serving with the RIrF in India.  His brother, Alex Woods who also served with 11 RIR, was captured on the 1.7.16 and was a prisoner in Germany.  Official notification that James Woods was presumed dead was only received by his parents in the Spring of 1917.  In response, they inserted a death notice in the Standard on the 6 April including a poem which read, “He marched away so manly, His young head proudly held, His footsteps never faltered, His courage never failed”.

WOODS, Private James Mearns (Jim).  Born in Lisburn, he was a carpenter by trade and was employed by Mr. Pinkerton a builder of Bachelors’ Walk, Lisburn.  A member of the UVF, he Enlisted in the RIR (19349) at Lisburn, and left with the Ulster Division for France, possibly embarking with 11 RIR from Bordon Camp, in October 1915.  Transferred to 108th. MGC(I) (17704), he was KIA in Belgium on the 16.8.17 aged 21.  According to a report in the Standard published on the 7 September 1917, “Ever since the last big fight [Langemarck] rumour persistently had it that this young soldier had made the supreme sacrifice … [he] was killed instantaneously while serving at his post”.  His death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 154-159.  He was the second son of Theresa M. Woods of The Laurels, Dublin Road, Lisburn, and the late Mr. J.C. Woods.

WOODS, Rifleman Robert Samuel.  Born in Hillsborough, he lived at Lisidian, Hillsborough, enlisted at Belfast and served in 12 RIR (921).  KIA in Belgium on the 16.10.16 aged 22, he is buried in La Plus Douve Farm Cemetery, Belgium, plot 4, row A, grave 10.  He was the son of Joseph and Marie Woods of Lisadian, Hillsborough.  On the 20.10.17 they had the following poem included with an In Memoriam notice that they placed in the Herald.  “One year has passed since that sad day, When one we loved was called away; The purpose, Lord, we cannot see, But all is well that’s done by Thee.  The silent grief that’s in the soul, No human eye can trace, For many a broken heart lies hid, Behind a smiling face”.

WORTH, Lance corporal Arthur.  Born in Hillsborough, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RInF (7764).  KIA in Belgium on the 9.12.17, his death is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, panels 70-2.  He was the husband of Elizabeth Worth of 51 Pine Street, Donegall Pass, Belfast.

WRIGHT, Captain Alexander Allen. MC. Born in Belfast on the 13.8.1887, he was an Old Scholar of Friends’ School, Lisburn and served in 4 RLR (Territorial Force).  KIA on the Somme on the 8.8.16 aged 29, his death is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France, panel 21.

WRIGHT  Rifleman J. Born in Donacloney, Co. Down, he lived in Lurgan and Lisburn, enlisted in Waringstown and served in 2 RIR (4710).  He was KIA in France on the 29.9.16 and is buried in Lonsdale Cemetery, Authuile, Somme, France, plot 9, row H, grave 3.

 

WRIGHT, Private John.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Motherwell and served in 6 (Cameronians) SR (2071).  KIA in France on the 15.6.15 aged 18, his death is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France, panel 7.  He was the son of Annie Wright Banks of 16 Orbiston Street, Motherwell, Lanarkshire.

WRIGHT, Private Robert.  Born in Stoneyford, Co. Antrim, he enlisted at Liverpool and served in the Royal West Surrey Regiment (42992) before transferring to 23 NF (Tyneside Scottish) (59079).  He died in France on the 20.3.18 aged 28 and his death is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, France, bays 2 or 3.  He was the son of Joseph and Alice Wright of 14 Cadmus Street, Everton, Liverpool.

YARR, Private William John.  Born in Crumlin on the 1.4.1887, he was a married man, a farmer and a member of the Orange Order in Glenavy.  At the time of his enlistment in 1916 his wife Annie Yarr lived at Glen Lake Cottages, Crumlin, while his address was P.O. Nonton (possibly Nanton), Alberta.  With no previous military experience, he enlisted at Medicine Hat, Alberta on the 1.2.1916 aged 29 years and 9 months and was passed fit for overseas service the same day.  5’ 8¾” tall, he had a 35¼” chest (fully expanded) with a 1¼” range of expansion, a fair complexion, brown hair and blue eyes.  He had the “Stars and Stripes” and Union Jack tattooed on his right forearm and a vaccination scar on his left arm.  Posted to 31 CI AR (696100), he died in Belgium on the 6.11.17 aged 30.  His death is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, panels 24-28-30.  By the time that the details of his service and death were recorded, Annie Yarr was living at 1 Nook Cottages, Mill Road, Crumlin, Co. Antrim.  There is a Yarr family headstone in Portmore Burial ground.  Jane Yarr died on the 18.12.10 aged 46.  Her husband William R. died on the 5.9.1924 aged 63.  However, there is no reference to William John and the connection, if any, is not obvious.

YOUNG, Rifleman George.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Belfast and served in 2 RIR (5323).  He DoW at Le Havre in France on the 1.2.16 and is buried in St. Marie Cemetery, Le Havre, France, div[ision] 19, row Q, grave 1.  He was the son of Mrs. Young of Back Barracks, Lisburn.  At the time that Mrs. Young received notification of her son’s death, she was a patient in the Workhouse Infirmary.

YOUNG, Private Joseph.  Born in Lisburn, he enlisted at Boyle, Roscommon and served in 6 RInF (17951).  He DoW while a PoW in Bulgaria on the 14.3.16 and is buried in Sophia War Cemetery, Bulgaria, plot 1, row B, grave 3.  Sofia War Cemetery contains the graves of servicemen who died as prisoners of war or with the occupying forces following the Bulgarian capitulation in September 1918.  The original cemetery contained 62 war burials, most of which were brought in from Dubnitza Cemetery, Radomir Cemetery and Military Cemetery, and Sofia Town Cemetery.  Further graves were brought in from Varna Protestant Cemetery in 1955 and from Ruschuk British and Jewish Cemeteries in 1960.