Sergeant Andrew Ellison Hatrick
Andrew Ellison Hatrick was born on 2 January 1889 at Castleshanaghan, Letterkenny, County Donegal, the first of five children of farmer John Williamson Hatrick and his wife Fannie Jane (nee Malseed). By 1911 he was living with his family at Castleshanaghan and working on the family farm.
Hatrick enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 5 March 1909 (No.307), rising to the rank of sergeant. The Ballymena Observer of 20 June 1913 reported that:
On Monday thirty-three men with horses, forming portion of 4th Troop B Squadron, mustered in Letterkenny. In charge of Sergeant A. Hatrick, they were conveyed by special train on Strabane and Letterkenny Railway for twenty-four days' training at Finner Camp, Ballyshannon. The troopers are a fine soldierly lot of young fellows recruited principally from the well-to-do farming class in Letterkenny district, while their mounts would compare favourably with those of crack cavalry regiments. The troop is under command of Lieutenant Charles Norman, D.L., Fahan.
On 20 January 1915 Hatrick embarked for France with a small draft of reinforcements for A and C Squadrons of the North Irish Horse.
When Hatrick's term of service ended he elected to not continue in the army and on 4 March 1916 was discharged at Antrim as 'time expired'. However he must have had second thoughts, because between 20 April and 6 May 1916 he re-enlisted in the North Irish Horse (regimental number 2157, 2158, 2160, 2161 or 2162 – later Corps of Hussars No.71703).
Between 1916 and 1918 he embarked for France, where he was posted to one of the three squadrons of the 1st North Irish Horse Regiment (which served as corps cyclist regiment to V Corps from March 1918).
Hatrick was wounded during the Advance to Victory offensive from August to November 1918.
He was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve, on 2 June 1919. After the war he emigrated to New Zealand, where he settled at Manukau near Auckland. He died there in 1980.
The image shows Hatrick in 1912. The full picture can be seen here.