Second Lieutenant Wallace Linton
Wallace Linton was born on 21 April 1898 at Castlewellan, Clough, County Down, the first of seven children of grocer and provision merchant William Linton and his wife Martha (nee Hall). Educated at the Ulster Provincial School, Lisburn, and the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, by 1915 he was working as an assistant pharmaceutical dispenser.
Linton enlisted in the North Irish Horse at Newry on 29 May 1915, stating his age to be 19 years and 65 days, two years older than his actual age. He reported for duty at Antrim on 7 June, where he was assigned regimental number 1667.
Linton embarked for France on 22 February 1916, where he was posted to D Squadron. In September that year he fell ill and was admitted to No.3 Casualty Clearing Station at Puchevillers. Suffering from gastric enteritis, he was evacuated to England on 16 September, where he was admitted to Bagthorpe Military Hospital, Nottingham. By November he was again fit for duty and reported to the North Irish Horse reserve depot at Antrim.
On 18 December 1916 Linton applied for a commission in the infantry, with a preference for the Royal Irish Rifles. He reported for duty at No.7 Officer Cadet Battalion at Fermoy on 5 May 1917 and on 29 August was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and posted to the 19th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles.
Records suggest that in late 1917 or early 1918 Linton embarked for France and posted to the 14th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles. However that battalion was disbanded in February 1918. Linton was later posted to the 15th Battalion – he arrived on 10 June 1918 and was posted to C Company. It is likely that he saw significant action with the battalion during the Advance to Victory offensive in the final months of the war.
Linton left for England on 12 February 1919 and was demobilised six days later. He relinquished his commission on 1 September 1921.
After the war he studied medicine, qualifying as a bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery in 1924. He worked at the Belfast Maternity Hospital and Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. In later years he served as a Belfast Water Commissioner.
On 22 June 1926 he married Margaret Cusack at St Paul's Church, Castlewellan. He died on 29 January 1981.
The Northern Whig and Belfast Post, 3 October 1957
First image sourced from Ancestry public member trees - contributor 'handsie1'.