Corporal Samuel Melville
Samuel Melville was born on 27 October 1896 at 41 Percy Street, Belfast, the first of three children of builder and carpenter Charles Melville and his wife Mary Ann (née Scott). By the time of the 1911 Census he was living at 1 Maryville Terrace, Ballygomartin Road, Belfast, with his mother and siblings.
Melville enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 25 May 1915 (No.1612 – later Corps of Hussars No.71471). 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.
In May 1916 E Squadron came together with A and D Squadrons to form the 1st North Irish Horse Regiment, serving as corps cavalry to VII, XIX, then V Corps until February-March 1918, when the regiment was dismounted and converted to a cyclist unit. It then served as corps cyclists to V Corps until the end of the war.
Melville remained with the regiment throughout the war. According to one record, at some point he was gassed. On 7 February 1919 he was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve.
In 1924 Melville emigrated to the United States, sailing from Belfast for Boston on 18 September.
Image sourced from Ancestry.com Public Member Trees - contributor 'BWosilius'.