Private John Crawford
The background of this North Irish Horseman is not known at present, other than that he was from Clough, Lisbellaw, County Fermanagh. He may have been the John James Crawford born on 16 February 1889 at Cavancarragh, son of farmer John Crawford and his wife Margaret (nee Forde). By the time of the 1911 Census he was boarding at the home of Ellen Savage of Cloghtogle, Lisbellaw, and working as an agricultural labourer.
Crawford enlisted in the North Irish Horse between 28 June and 29 July 1912 (No.716). He embarked for France with C Squadron on 20 August 1914, seeing action on the retreat from Mons and advance to the Aisne.
In June 1916 C Squadron combined with F 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 transferred to the infantry. Like most, Crawford joined the 9th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers – renamed the 9th (North Irish Horse) Battalion – on 20 September. He was issued regimental number 41470. It is likely that he saw action with the battalion at the Battle of Cambrai in November and December 1917, and perhaps also during the retreat from St Quentin from 21 to 28 March 1918.
Later in 1918 Crawford was made a prisoner of war, possibly in the period 11-18 April 1918 in the actions between Wulverghem and Kemmel on the Ypres front. He was repatriated in the months following the Armistice.