Private John McKergan
John McKergan (or McKergin) was born on 28 September 1892 near Portrush, County Antrim, one of nine children of servant Mary McKergan (nee Gray). His mother had previously had four children by her husband William, a fisherman from Agherton, Portstewart, but all four died very young, and William died in 1891. It appears that John and his younger brother James were brought up by their grandmother, Sophia McKergan, at Portstewart. By the time of the 1911 Census, however, the two boys and another brother were living with their mother at 55 Beresford Street, Shankill, John working as a barber.
McKergan enlisted in the North Irish Horse at Ballymena on 4 September 1914 (No.1130). He embarked for France with D Squadron on 1 May 1915. While in France McKergan began suffering from an osteoma, and on 23 February 1916 he was evacuated to the UK for treatment.
Later that year a medical board found that McKergan was no longer physically fit for military service. He was discharged from the army (Para 392 xvi King's Regulations) on 24 October 1916. His discharge papers recorded that he was "honest, sober, industrious, hard working and thoroughly reliable."
As the illness was considered to have been aggravated by his military service, McKergan was granted a pension. Records show his post-discharge address as 38 Maclean Street, Plantation, Glasgow.
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