Private Albert Brice Galway
Albert Brice Galway was born on 5 October 1898 at Kilkeel, County Down, the first of three children of watchmaker Brice Galway and his wife Annie Elizabeth (nee Reid). His mother died when he was just nine years old. By the time of the 1911 Census he was living with his father at 7 Broad Street, Magherafelt, County Londonderry. On 3 April 1917 he began work as a clerk with the Northern Bank at its Carrick-on-Shannon branch.
Galway enlisted in the North Irish Horse at Boyle on 16 May 1917, joining the regiment at Antrim nine days later (No.2461 – later Corps of Hussars No.71846). While in training at the regiment's Antrim base depot he qualified as a 1st Class Shot.
On 5 November 1918 Galway embarked for France with a reinforcement draft for the North Irish Horse Cyclist Regiment. They joined the regiment in the field on 22 November, eleven days after the Armistice had brought an end to the fighting.
On 7 June 1919 Galway was one of twenty-two men of the North Irish Horse Cyclist Regiment who volunteered to transfer to the Army Cyclist Corps (No.23921). They were posted to the IV Corps Cyclist Battalion at Rolsdorf, part of the Army of Occupation on the Rhine.
Galway was transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve, on 10 November 1919, and was discharged on demobilisation on 31 March the following year.
Image sourced from Gavin Bamford's site honouring the officials of the Northern Bank and Belfast Bank who served during the two World Wars and in more recent conflicts. northernbankwarmemorials.blogspot.com.au