Private John McCromie Darragh, 6th Inniskilling Dragoons (Service Squadron), attached to 2nd Regiment North Irish Horse, Service No. UD/128.

Born Ballymena, County Antrim. Residence Portadown. Enlisted Belfast. Son of the late Samuel and Jane Darragh of Ballycraigy, Ballymena, County Antrim.

Died in France on 24 December 1916, aged 32.

Buried at St Riquier British Cemetery, Somme, France, grave C.8.

The gravestone inscription reads:

128 PRIVATE

J. MC C. DARRAGH

INNISKILLING DRAGOONS

24TH DECEMBER 1916

"Trooper J. Darragh, Inniskilling Dragoons, who was killed in action on Christmas Eve last, was the third son of the late Samuel Darragh, Ballycraigy, Ballymena and Mrs. Darragh now of Alma Terrace, Portadown. He came home from Canada at the beginning of the war to join this popular Irish Regiment of which he always felt very proud." (Ballymena Observer, January 12, 1917)

Image kindly provided by Simon Godly. See his First World War website at www.webmatters.net.

Newspaper extract from Des Blackadder's Ballymena 1914-1918: Carved in stone...but not forgotten.