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In memoriam

Private James Montgomery

 

 

James Montgomery was born on 21 April 1894 at 111 Snugville Street, Shankill, Belfast, the second of nine children of brushmaker James Montgomery and his wife Martha (nee Trimble). By 1911 he was living with his family at Snugville Street and working as a power loom tenter.

Montgomery enlisted in the North Irish Horse between 16 and 18 November 1915 (No.1910). He embarked for France in 1916, but soon after fell ill and was evacuated home. He was found to have contracted tuberculosis, and was discharged from the army on 21 October 1916.

Private Montgomery died at home from tuberculosis on 17 June 1919. He was buried in the Belfast (Dundonald) Cemetery, Northern Ireland, grave C3.699. Also commemorated on his gravestone is James's older brother William, who was killed in action the Battle of Festubert on 15/16 May 1915 while serving with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. The inscription reads:

1910 PRIVATE
JAMES MONTGOMERY
NORTH IRISH HORSE
17TH JUNE 1919 AGE 25

ALSO IN MEMORY OF
10861 PTE WILLIAM MONTGOMERY
ROYAL INNISKILLING FUS.
15TH MAY 1915

Below the gravestone is a plinth which reads:

JAMES MONTGOMERY
DIED 14TH FEBRUARY 1956
AGED 86 YEARS

 

Agnes Street Presbyterian Church Great War Memorial 

 

First image kindly provided by Steve Rogers, Project Co-ordinator of the The War Graves Photographic Project, www.twgpp.org. Second image courtesy of Nigel Henderson, Researcher at History Hub Ulster (www.greatwarbelfastclippings.com).