Private Thomas Abercrombie
Thomas Abercrombie was born on 27 October 1887 at 5 Unity Street, Belfast, the seventh of eight children of retired Royal Irish Constabulary sergeant John Abercrombie and his wife Martha (née Harcourt). By the time of the 1911 Census he was living at 35 Newington Street, Belfast, with his widowed mother and two of his siblings, and working as a carrier's clerk.
Abercrombie enlisted in the North Irish Horse between 19 and 28 October 1915 (No.1755 – later Corps of Hussars No.71542). Five months later, on 14 March, he married Margaret Patterson Johnston at St James's Church of Ireland Church in Belfast. The couple had two children over the next six years.
After training at the regiment's Antrim reserve camp, sometime between 1916 and 1918 Abercrombie embarked for France, where he was posted to one of the squadrons of the 1st Irish Horse Regiment.
During 1918 he applied for a commission, and left the regiment for officer cadet training in England. The war ended, however, before he could gain his commission. On 5 August 1919 he was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve.
After the war Abercrombie returned to Belfast, living at 23 Ponsonby Avenue and working as a cartage manager. By 1960 he was living at 241 Cavehill Road, having retired from work as a clerk. He died there on 9 May 1960 and was buried in the Carnmoney Cemetery.
Image sourced from Ancestry.com Public Member Trees – contributor Lesley Harvey.