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Private George Killough

 

 

George Killough was born on 24 July 1892 at Moneyleck, near Rasharkin, County Antrim, the ninth of ten children of farmer Andrew Killough and his wife Mary Jane (nee Wilson). At the time of the 1911 Census he was living at Moneyleck with his parents and a brother.

Killough enlisted in the North Irish Horse at Ballymena between 29 January and 9 March 1917 (No.2363). On 3 April he married farmer's daughter Annie Lavina Wilson in the Killymurris Presbyterian Church.

At the end of August 1917 a number of men at the North Irish Horse Reserve at Antrim, including Killough, were compulsorily transferred to the Royal Irish Rifles. He was issued a new regimental number – 20217 – and posted to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion.

Soon after he was posted to the 6th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, part of the 10th (Irish) Division, which had recently moved to Egypt from Salonika. During 1918 the Division was involved in the Palestine campaign.

The 6th Battalion was disbanded on 15 May 1918 at Deir-el-Nidham. Killough was then transferred to the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment (No.20989). Later in the year he became ill with dysentery (some records say pneumonia). He was hospitalised at Deir-el-Belah, where he died on 24 October 1918.

Private Killough is buried in the Deir-el-Belah War Cemetery, Gaza, grave B.189. His gravestone inscription reads:

20989 PRIVATE
G. KILLOUGH
ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT
24TH OCTOBER 1918 AGE 27

ASLEEP IN JESUS
TIME NOR SPACE DEBARS
THIS PRECIOUS HIDING PLACE

 

This photo was taken around 1920. The location of Killough's grave is indicated by the arrow.

 

Gravestone image kindly provided by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Cemetery image sourced from Wikimedia Commons.