Private David Lord
The background of this North Irish Horseman is not clear, but he appears to be the same person as the James Lord, born in Bolton, Lancashire, around 1880, a child of engineer James Lord. At some point in the 1890s Lord enlisted in the army (regiment unknown at present). He married soldier's daughter Mary Jane Burns on 18 May 1902 at St Anne's Church of Ireland Parish Church, Belfast. The couple had four children over the next nine years. Lord left the army around 1907 and settled with his family in Belfast. At the time of the 1911 Census he was living at 53 Beech Street and working as a labourer.
Lord enlisted in the North Irish Horse between 17 and 23 November 1915 (No.1953 – later Corps of Hussars No.71645). He trained at the regiment's Antrim reserve camp before embarking for France sometime between 1916 and 1918, possibly with E Squadron on 11 January 1916.
Lord remained with the regiment throughout the war, though how much time he spent in France and Belgium and how much at the Antrim reserve depot is not known at present. On 28 April 1919 he was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve.
After the war Lord returned to 53 Beech Street and resumed work as a labourer. He died in hospital on 11 March 1959 and was buried in the Belfast City Cemetery. Among the condolence notices in the Belfast Telegraph was one from the Officers and Men of the Belfast Corporation Transport Ex-Servicemen's Association.
Crescent Presbyterian Church Roll of Honour, Belfast
Image courtesy of Nigel Henderson, History Hub Ulster.