North Irish Horse - Gallery - In memoriam

In memoriam

Rifleman John Connell

Likely to be the John Connell born on 23 April 1892 at the Limavady workhouse, County Londonderry, son of labourer Samuel Connell (who had died six months earlier) and his wife Sarah (nee Kilmary or Kilmurry).

Connell enlisted in the North Irish Horse at Limavady in October 1913 (No.869).

He embarked for France on 20 August 1914 as part of C Squadron, seeing action in the Retreat from Mons and Advance to the Aisne.

At some point in the next two years he returned home, either wounded, sick or injured, before rejoining the regiment at its Antrim reserve.

In November 1916 Connell, together with around 100 other North Irish Horsemen, volunteered to transfer to the Royal Irish Rifles (No.40862). They embarked for France on 7 December, where they joined the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, on the Somme front.

On 16 August 1917 Connell's battalion took part in the Battle of Langemarck, part of Third Ypres. The battalion war diary for the day listed 27 other ranks killed, 7 wounded and missing, 170 wounded, and 63 missing.

Rifleman Connell was among the missing, and his death was later officially accepted.

As he has no known grave, he is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, West-Vlanderen, Belgium, Panel 139.