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The North Irish Horse in the Great War

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24.01.2022 Great museum. Really important to keep it going.

23.01.2022 TRUMPETER JAMES CRAIG OF BALLYMENA ENLISTED AT THE AGE OF 14 James Craig was born on 16 November 1899 at McAuley's Terrace, Ballymena, County Antrim, the second of two children of farmer (later dealer and goods carter) Charles Craig and his wife Mary (née Hamilton). By the time of the 1911 Census he was living in Albert Street, Ballymena, with his parents, his American-born half-sister, and his older brother. In the years following he worked with his older brother in the Mi...Continue reading

22.01.2022 TWO NORTH IRISH HORSEMEN BROUGHT 'IN FROM THE COLD' News has come in the last few days that two WW1 North Irish Horseman have been recognised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as casualties of the war. Privates Millar McGuigan of Ballyclare and Samuel Cosgrove of Portadown and Belfast both died as a result of illness caused by their war service, but were not recognised as casualties at the time. However submissions recently made to the CWGC, through the In From the C...old Project, have been accepted, and the sacrifice made by these men has at last been recognised. Here is the story of the first. MILLAR MCGUIGAN was born on 15 June 1897 at Ballyclare, County Antrim, the last of ten children of mechanic Samuel McGuigan and his wife Susan (nee Kerr), who died just a year later. By the time of the 1911 Census he was living with his aunt, a cousin and four siblings at 18 Main Street, Ballyclare, and working as a bread server's assistant. His father died at the Union Infirmary, Antrim, three years later. McGuigan enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 8 November 1915 (No.1809). Between 1916 and 1918 he embarked for France, where he was posted to one of the three squadrons of the 1st North Irish Horse Regiment. He remained with the regiment throughout the war. On 2 March 1919 McGuigan was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve. By then, however, he had contracted pulmonary tuberculosis. A medical board concluded that the disease was attributable to his military service, and he was granted a pension. He died at Ballygallagh, County Antrim, on 29 September and was buried in the Ballyclare New Cemetery. One of Private McGuigan's brothers, Samuel, also served in the war, in the 14th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. On 10 August 1918 he was wounded in his right thigh. He died at Graylingwell War Hospital, Chichester, three weeks later, and was buried in the Ballyclare New Cemetery. The deaths of Millar and Samuel were only part of a larger tragedy for the McGuigan family. Apart from the early loss of Millar's parents, of his six brothers, three Henry, John and Henry died in infancy; another, William Arthur, died at Ballyclare in May 1917; and James died at Antrim in November 1927.

20.01.2022 PRIVATE WILLIAM ROONEY OF BRYANSFORD, COUNTY DOWN William Rooney was born on 22 November 1894 at Cross, Bryansford, County Down, the fifth of seven children of farmer William Rooney and his wife Mary (nee Magill). By 1911 he was living at Cross with his parents and three siblings and working on the family farm. Rooney enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 8 April 1913 (No.831). He embarked for France with C Squadron on 20 August 1914, seeing action in the retreat from Mons and... advance to the Aisne. In October 1915 he was wounded. According to the squadron diary, much of the month was spent providing working parties in the Sanctuary Wood trenches on the Ypres front: "In [the] course of the period in which party was in Sanctuary Wood, wire was put in front of the following trenches: Nottingham Road, Robb Street, Dawson Street, End of B.3, Boden Street, Junction (Rdr?) Sap, B.4.R, B.3.S, B.2.S, A.12.R, Warington Avenue. Working party getting relieved paraded at 5.30 P.M and returned to billets at 8.45 P.M. 2 Casualties." Rooney returned to duty soon after. On 2 January 1916 he was wounded again, more severely this time. According to the war diary: "A party of 2 officers & 60 men paraded at 1.30 P.M. for defence work on the Bluff I.34.c.7.7. One casualty, Pte Rooney severely wounded." The news was carried in the Belfast News-Letter on 24 January: "Sergeant Major W. Moore, ... at present home in Downpatrick on leave, mentions two recent casualties in his squadron Troopers Rooney of Ballyroney and Boyd of Belfast, receiving dangerous bullet wounds. This was the second time for Rooney to be hit." Rooney was evacuated to the UK for treatment. On 9 January 1917 he was discharged, being 'no longer physically fit for war service'. On 1 July 1966 the Mourne Observer published an article to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. It included an interview with Rooney about his experiences: "WM. ROONEY, of Bryansford Gardens, who served with the 'C' Squadron, was twice wounded in October, 1915, and on 2nd January, 1916. On the latter date a bullet lodged so close to his spine that doctors reckoned it was too dangerous to operate. So he carried the bullet with him and a lot of agony it caused him at times for 22 years, until 1938, when a surgeon in the Craigavon Hospital took a chance and successfully removed it. He still carries that bullet but in his waistcoat pocket as a souvenir. Mr. Rooney resides with his wife and daughter Louise. His son Jack is a schoolteacher." Rooney died on 23 March 1968 at Quoile Hospital, Downpatrick Road. (Image sourced from the Mourne Observer, 1 July 1966.)

18.01.2022 PRIVATE SAMUEL COSGROVE OF PORTADOWN AND BELFAST The second North Irish Horseman recently brought 'in from the cold' with recognition by the CWGC as a casualty of the war is Samuel Cosgrove. Born on 10 July 1875 at Castle Avenue, Portadown, County Armagh, he was one of at least six children of weaver and labourer William Cosgrove and his wife Rachel (nee Watson). He first worked as a barber, but on 5 October 1894 enlisted in the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles at Belfast (...Continue reading

18.01.2022 REMEMBERING TODAY: JOHN MORRISON OF BALLYMOTE, COUNTY SLIGO John Morrison was born on 21 March 1888 at Kingsfort, near Ballymote, County Sligo, the third of nine children of farmer (later civil bill officer) William Morrison and his wife Rebecca Frances (née Morrison). By the time of the 1911 Census he was living at Elm Park, Limerick, and working as butler to Lord Clarina. Morrison enlisted in the North Irish Horse at Antrim on 1 June 1915 (No.1649). He trained at the regim...ent's Antrim reserve camp until the end of December 1916, when he and 39 other North Irish Horsemen volunteered to transfer to the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. The formal transfer took place on 9 January 1917, and on the same day they embarked for France, where they were posted to the 10th Battalion, joining it at Ploegsteert Wood on the Ypres front on 16 January. Morrison was issued regimental number 40657. During 1917 the 10th Battalion saw a great deal of action, including at Messines (7 June), Langemarck (16 August) and Cambrai (November and December). On 21 January 1918 it was disbanded, many of the men, including Morrison, being posted to the newly-formed 21st Entrenching Battalion. Morrison was wounded between 21 and 28 March 1918 during the retreat from St Quentin at the beginning of the German spring offensive. One record states he was wounded in both knees, another states that it was in both arms. He was admitted to No.5 General Hospital at Rouen and a week later, on 4 April, was evacuated to the UK. By 1 October 1918 Morrison was fit for home service and was posted to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. A week later he was disciplined with two days' confinement to barracks for being absent from parade. On 26 October he was transferred to the Labour Corps (No.669811) and posted to the Western Command at Oswestry. Morrison was discharged, being no longer physically fit for military service due to his wounds, on 7 December 1918 (paragraph 392(xvi), King's Regulations), his military character recorded as 'very good'. He was granted a pension, his level of disability being assessed at 30 per cent. After his discharge Morrison returned to his home at Ballymote. By 1920, however, he was living at Durrow, Queen's County, and working as a waiter. He died (due to chronic nephritis) at the Aut Even Hospital, Kilkenny, on 29 March 1920, aged 32. Because he was receiving a pension at the time of his death, and his illness was attributed to his military service, Morrison was recorded by the Imperial War Graves Commission as a casualty of the war. He was buried in the Kilkenny (St Mary) Church of Ireland Churchyard, located north of the north-east door. (Image courtesy of the War Graves Photographic Project.)

15.01.2022 LANCE CORPORAL JIM CLELAND: A 'PLUCKY NEWRY YEOMAN' William James (Jim) Cleland was born on 27 May 1880 in Canal Street, Newry, County Armagh, the fifth of nine children of grocer William James Cleland and his wife Martha (née McBride). He later moved to Belfast where he worked as a carpenter. At some point he enlisted in the Royal Engineers, but purchased his discharged after just 61 days. On 22 January 1900 Cleland enlisted in the 46th (Belfast) Company, Imperial Yeomanry (...Continue reading

13.01.2022 439 BIOGRAPHIES OF NORTH IRISH HORSEMEN AVAILABLE During 1915, some 439 North Irish Horsemen 19 officer and 420 other ranks embarked for overseas, mainly for France. They joined the 374 officers and men who had gone there in 1914. Most of these were in D Squadron (six officers and 143 other ranks on 1 May) and F Squadrons (five officers and 128 other ranks on 17 November). In addition, five reinforcement drafts were sent to France during the year (three officers and 118 o...ther ranks), and a draft of 23 other ranks went to Gallipoli attached to the 54th Division as Military Mounted Police. Thirty-eight of these men died as a result of the war thirty killed in action or died of wounds, seven died due to illness, and one as a result of a self-inflicted wound. Biographies of each of these 439 North Irish Horsemen are now available on my North Irish Horse website here http://www.northirishhorse.com.au/NIH/Roll%20call/1915.html. (Image of brothers Robert, Albert and Alexander Dundee of D Squadron courtesy of Dorothy Harcourt.)

09.01.2022 FINDING PRIVATE ROBERTS: THE LOST NORTH IRISH HORSEMAN OF THE SOMME Until recently the last resting place of Private John Martin Roberts, killed in action on the Somme on 21 August 1918, was unknown. Last year, however, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission accepted my submission that he is in fact the man buried in an 'unknown' soldier's grave in the Queens Cemetery, Bucquoy. Private Roberts' tragic story, and the journey to find his grave, is detailed in an article I have ...written for the Western Front Association - published in last month's Bulletin. Read it here on my North Irish Horse website http://www.northirishhorse.com.au//Finding%20Private%20Rob

03.01.2022 Delighted that my book The North Irish Horse in the Great War is now available in paperback. Great value at just 11.89. Thank you once again to the team at Pen & Sword. Get your copy here https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-North-Irish-Hor/p/17853

03.01.2022 A great story from New Zealand about a brave North Irish Horseman.