Corporal George Carse Marsden
George Carse Marsden was born around 1898 in Burma, the third or fourth of five children of English-born Royal Irish Fusiliers soldier (later hon. lieutenant) John Carse Marsden and his Armagh-born wife Ellen Jane (formerly Ladley, nee Cooke). By the time of the 1911 Census he was living at 15 Court Street, Belfast, with his parents, two sisters, a cousin and an uncle. Soon after he was employed by the engineering firm Combe and Barbour.
Marsden enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 3 September 1914 (No.1105 – later Corps of Hussars No.71234). On 1 May 1915 he embarked for France with D Squadron. He remained with the squadron in France and Belgium throughout the war.
In May 1916 D Squadron came together with A and E Squadrons to form the 1st North Irish Horse Regiment, serving as corps cavalry to VII, XIX then V Corps. In February-March 1918 the regiment was converted to a cyclist unit, serving as corps cyclists to V Corps until the end of the war. In this role it saw much action during the Advance to Victory offensive from August to November 1918.
During the fighting Marsden was gassed. He was evacuated to England, where on 16 October he was admitted to the Kitchener Military Hospital in Brighton. Following his recovery, on 27 February 1919 he was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve.
After the war Marsden returned to work as a fitter. On 13 April 1920 he married Jane Spence Turner at St James's Church of Ireland Parish Church in Belfast.
By 1959 Marsden was living with his wife at 7 Abbey Ring, Holywood, County Down, and working as an assistant foreman fitter. He died on 30 January that year at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast.
Image from the Larne Times of 26 October 1918 kindly provided by Nigel Henderson, Researcher at History Hub Ulster (www.greatwarbelfastclippings.com).