Corporal William George McCalmont
William George McCalmont (right) was born on 7 May 1895 at Dundressan, Islandmagee, County Antrim, the youngest of eight children to sailor Andrew McCalmont and his wife Mary Jane (nee Kerr).
McCalmont enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 16 November 1915 (No.1895 – later Corps of Hussars No.71624).
He embarked for France between 1916 and 1918 as a reinforcement for the 1st North Irish Horse Regiment, seeing action during the Advance to Victory offensive in the last months of the war. According to surviving children he was poisoned by gas and suffered with breathing problems afterwards.
McCalmont was one of eight officers and men of the regiment mentioned in Field-Marshal Haig's despatch of 16 March 1919 for "distinguished and gallant service and devotion to duty" during the period 16 September 1918 to 15 March 1919.
He was transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve, on 1 March 1919.
McCalmont in later life with his wife Margaret (formerly Hill)
The other man in the first picture is McCalmont's pal Thomas McCready Ross.
I am grateful to Kev Sturdy for kindly agreeing that I use the first photograph. The second photograph and some of the above information is sourced from Ancestry - Gordon McCalmont.