Private William Cinnamond
William Cinnamond was born on 15 March 1895 at Magherasaul, near Castlewellan, County Down, the fifth of seven children of farmer William Cinnamond and his wife Rebecca (née Bingham). His father died of pneumonia when William was just eight years old. By the time of the 1911 Census he was living at Magherasaul with his mother and three of his four surviving siblings and working as a tradesman.
Cinnamond enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 8 April 1915 (No.1476). He trained at the regiment's Antrim reserve depot before embarking for France on 17 November 1915 with F Squadron, which at the time was serving as divisional cavalry to the 33rd Division.
In June 1916 F Squadron combined with C Squadron and the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons Service Squadron to form the 2nd North Irish Horse Regiment, serving as corps cavalry to X Corps until September 1917, when the regiment was disbanded and its men were transferred to the Royal Irish Fusiliers, an infantry regiment. Most, including Cinnamond were transferred on 20 September and were posted to the 9th (Service) Battalion – renamed the 9th (North Irish Horse) Battalion – joining it in the field at Ruyaulcourt five days later. Cinnamond was issued regimental number 41187.
He probably saw action with the battalion at the Battle of Cambrai in November and December 1917.
Cinnamond was wounded in the left hand in the fighting around Wulverghem and Mount Kemmel on the Ypres front in April 1918. It is unlikely that he saw any further front-line service in the war.
On 1 March 1919 he was discharged, being 'no longer physically fit for war service' (paragraph 392 (xvi), King's Regulations). He was granted a pension due to his wound, the level of his disability rated at 30 per cent as late as January 1923.
Following his discharge Cinnamond lived in Belfast, where he worked as a painter. On 10 November 1920 he married Margaret Elizabeth Hunter in the Tyrella Church of Ireland Parish Church, County Down.