Lieutenant Benjamin McQuoid
Benjamin McQuoid was born on 10 August 1892 at 22 Cavendish Street, Belfast, the second of seven children of pawnbroker Samuel McQuoid and his wife Sarah (nee Caruth). By 1911 he was living with his family at 81 Willowfield Street and working as a stationery assistant.
McQuoid enlisted in the North Irish Horse between 11 and 14 January 1915 (No.1398 – later Corps of Hussars No.71371).
In the first half of 1915 he embarked for England with F Squadron, where they awaited orders for France. On 12 July, however, McQuoid was one of about two dozen men of the squadron who volunteered for service as Military Mounted Police with the 54th (East Anglian) Division, which was under orders to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. They sailed from Devonport on HMT Manitou on 29 July 1915, joining the landing at Suvla Bay between 10 and 16 August.
At the end of the year the Gallipoli campaign was abandoned and the North Irish Horse military policemen moved with the 54th Division to Egypt.
On 23 December 1915 McQuoid faced a field general court martial at Sidi Bishr, Alexandria, charged with being drunk while on active service. He was sentenced to fourteen days' Field Punishment No.1.
Later in the war McQuoid applied for a commission and underwent training at an officer cadet battalion in the UK. On 17 March 1918 he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and posted to the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.
McQuoid was promoted to lieutenant on 17 September 1919. He relinquished his commission on 14 April 1920.
At the beginning of World War 2 (on 2 September 1939), he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the National Defence Companies (No.99150). After the war he was employed as a civil servant. He died at 76 Oakland Avenue, Belfast, on 12 November 1954.