Private John Ellison
John Ellison was born on 14 November 1880 at Ballygilbert, near Bangor, County Down, the second of nine children of labourer James Ellison and his wife Martha (née Keenan or McClure or Breeze). At some point he moved to Scotland. His child Jeanie McGill McMeikan was born at Inch, Wigtown, Scotland, to domestic servant Christina McMeikan, on 9 January 1909. At the time of the 1911 Census he was living as a boarder at 35 Calhorn Parks, Inch, and working as a horsebreaker.
It is probable that Ellison had some pre-war military experience, possibly with the North Irish Horse or its predecessor the North of Ireland Imperial Yeomanry.
Ellison enlisted in the North Irish Horse at Belfast on 13 August 1914 (No.998). He gave his occupation as a groom and his age as 29 years 309 days, four years under his true age. Within days his brother Joseph Ellison also joined the regiment. Both embarked for France on 20 August with C Squadron, seeing action on the retreat from Mons and advance to the Aisne. John's exploits (or that of his brother) were referred to by a pal Corporal Fred Lindsay in a Belfast Weekly Times report:
Trooper Ellison, ... of Belfast, rode by mistake into a Uhlan camp, but happily for him the night was so dark that he had discovered his mistake before he was recognised, and was almost clear of the camp again before the Uhlans were aware that he was not one of themselves. Just as he came to the high wire fence surrounding the camp one of the Uhlans struck a match to light his pipe, and Ellison stood revealed. Putting spurs to his horse, he attempted to jump the fence, but his mount baulked and threw him over its head into a drain on the outside. Amid a hail of bullets Ellison managed to run along the drain and escape in safety to the high road. Here he fell in with a motorist despatch rider, who gave him a "lift" behind him for some miles. Two weeks later he rejoined his troop, little the worse for his experience.
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. Ellison, however, was transferred to the Labour Corps (on 17 October). He was issued regimental number 429523 and posted to No.180 Labour Company.
On 8 February 1918, however, he was transferred back to the North Irish Horse (Corps of Hussars No.80642), remaining with the 1st (NIH) Regiment until 2 July, when he was posted to the 8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars.
Ellison re-enlisted in the 8th Hussars at Grottenherten in Germany on 18 February 1919 (No.533928), returning later that month to the UK, where he was stationed with his regiment at the Shorncliffe Barracks. On 18 July that year he married domestic servant Christina Potts (or McMeikan) at Craigenquarroch, Portpatrick, County Wigtown. The couple's children, twins Harriett Caroline and James Alexander McMeikan, were born at the Richmond Barracks on 18 November 1920. (Ellison also recognised his earlier child Jeanie McMeikan.)
On 28 August 1919 Ellison was transferred to Cavalry Reserve D.2. He was discharged on 12 June 1922, 'his services being no longer required' (paragraph 392 (xxv), King's Regulations), his military character recorded as 'very good'.
By 1951 Ellison was living with his wife at 116 Market Street, St Andrews, Scotland. He died on 17 March that year in the Memorial Cottage Hospital.
This page last updated 5 January 2023.