Private Thomas Magee
The background of this North Irish Horseman is not known at present.
Thomas Magee enlisted in the North Irish Horse between 29 April and 1 May 1915 (No.1505 – later Corps of Hussars No.71410). 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.
Magee remained with the regiment throughout the war, though how much time he spent in France and Belgium and how much at the Antrim reserve camp is not known at present. On 26 July 1919 he was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve.
An article in the Belfast News-Letter of 19 December 1916 (below) refers to a 'Trooper Magee', formerly a teacher at the Belfast Central Mission. This may be the Thomas Stewart Magee born on 16 March 1892 at 98 Tennent Street Belfast, one of nine children of policeman (later head constable) Thomas Stewart Magee and his wife Margaret Jane (née Flinn). At the time of the 1911 Census Thomas (jnr) was working as a school teacher in Belfast. In 1912 and 1913 his family emigrated the Canada, but it appears that Thomas remained until after the war, when he too emigrated.
