Private William Samuel Hamilton
William Samuel Hamilton was born on 11 November 1891 at Droit, Gortin, County Tyrone, the second of three children of farmer James Alexander Hamilton and his wife Matilda (nee Galbraith).
Hamilton enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 4 August 1913 (No.859 – later Corps of Hussars No.71132). His younger brother Charles John Hamilton had joined the regiment the previous December.
On 17 August 1914 he embarked for France with A Squadron, seeing action in the retreat from Mons and advance to the Aisne.
By the beginning of 1916 he was back in Ireland, at the regiment's reserve at Antrim. He married Anna Mary McFarland at Antrim on 23 February that year.
Hamilton was discharged as no longer physically fit for war service on 23 April 1918.
He died in Londonderry on 13 December 1971.
Image above, of Hamilton and his wife on their wedding day, sourced from The Imperial War Museum's Lives of the First World War project – contributor Michael Christie.