Poppy In memoriam Poppy

Rifleman Thomas McKillop

 

 

 

Thomas McKillop was born on 14 January 1894 at Deerpark, Glenarm, County Antrim, the fifth of nine children of labourer (later farmer) Thomas McKillop and his wife Margaret (nee Aicken). By 1911 he was living on the family farm at Ballyvaddy.

McKillop enlisted in the North Irish Horse at Ballymena between 6 and 17 May 1916 (No.2619). At the end of August 1917 he transferred to the Royal Irish Rifles (No.20420). He embarked for France where he was posted to the 15th Battalion.

The Battalion was in the line in the Hill 63 sector of the Ypres front from 12 to 15 September 1918. Among the casualties in that time was Rifleman McKillop, killed on the 14th.

As he has no known grave, he is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Comines-Warneton, Hainaut, Belgium, Memorial Panel 9.

 

 

Memorial images Copyright © Phillip Tardif with all rights reserved as set out in this Use of Material policy. Newspaper clipping from the Larne Times of October 1918 kindly provided by Nigel Henderson, Researcher at History Hub Ulster (www.greatwarbelfastclippings.com).