Corporal David George Armstrong
David George Armstrong was born on 14 December 1892 at Mullaghslin, Sixmilecross, County Tyrone, the seventh of nine children of farmer Andrew Armstrong and his wife Margaret (nee Kyle). By the time of the 1911 Census he was living at Mullagslin with his parents and five siblings and working on the family farm.
Armstrong enlisted in the North Irish Horse between 4 and 10 March 1914 (No.918 - later Corps of Hussars 71158). He embarked for France with A Squadron on 17 August 1914, seeing action on the retreat from Mons and Advance to the Aisne.The squadron then moved to St Omer, where it worked as escort and bodyguard to the commander in chief General French until January 1916.
A Squadron was attached to the 55th Division as divisonal cavalry from January to May 1916. It then joined with D and E Squadrons to form the 1st North Irish Horse Regiment, serving as corps cavalry to VII, XIX and then V Corps until February 1918. The regiment was then dismounted and converted to cyclists, attached to V Corps as its corp cyclist regiment for the remainder of the war.
Armstrong remained with the regiment throughout. He was photographed with A Squadron at Vignacourt in France in December 1918 or January-February 1919 (above - back row). The full image can be seen here.
On 11 February 1919 he was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve.
I am grateful to Linda Brown for helping identify this image of her grandfather.