Private William Poag
William Poag was born on 15 February 1892 at Droagh, Cairncastle, County Antrim, the fifth of nine children of caretaker (later land steward) Samuel Poag and his wife Jane (née Hart). His mother died when he was just nine years old. By the time of the 1911 Census he was living at Droagh with his father, step-mother and five siblings, and working as a tenter.
Poag enlisted in the North Irish Horse between 26 November and 2 December 1915 (No.2009 – later Corps of Hussars No.71668).
He trained at the regiment's Antrim reserve camp before embarking for France sometime between 1916 and 1918, where he was posted to one of the squadrons of the 1st North Irish Horse Regiment. This regiment served as corps cavalry to VII, XIX, then V Corps until February-March 1918, when it was dismounted and converted to a cyclist unit. This meant a 25 per cent reduction in the regiment's numbers, and it is probable that this was the time that Poag was transferred to the 19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars.
Poag remained with the Hussars until the end of the war. On 11 February 1919 he was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve. In May 1920 he and his younger brother Samuel emigrated to Canada.