Lance Corporal Alfred Raymond Vaughan
Alfred Raymond (or Robert) Vaughan was born at Carrickmore, County Tyrone, on 25 October 1894, the fourth of five children of RIC constable Alfred Edward Vaughan and his wife Mary Anne (nee Kee). By 1911 he was living as a boarder at 2 Ferryquary Street, Londonderry, and working as a drapery apprentice.
Vaughan enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 13 January 1913 (No.780). He embarked for France with A Squadron on 17 August 1914, seeing action on the retreat from Mons and advance to the Aisne. Through 1915 the squadron was based at St Omer as escort to the BEF's Commander-in-Chief, John French.
At the end of March 1916 one troop of the North Irish Horse squadron was attached to the 1st (King's) Dragoon Guards for a month's refresher training at Gueschart. Vaughan was among them. (The diary of the Dragoon Guards states the troop was from C Squadron, meaning either Vaughan had transferred to that squadron, or the troop was actually from A Squadron.)
In the latter part of April, while in training with the Dragoon Guards, Vaughan was admitted to the 2nd General Hospital with "internal derangement of the knee joint". After four days' treatment he was evacuated to the UK for further treatment. Whether he saw any further service overseas is not known at present. According to family recollections he was severely wounded, but I have not been able to find official confirmation of this.
On 27 November 1916 Vaughan was discharged as no longer physically fit for war service (Para 392 xvi King's Regulations).
After the war he lived for many years in Butcher Street, Strabane, with his wife Margaret and their children. He served as a Labour member of the Strabane District Council for almost 30 years, and was secretary of the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union. During the 1930s he also served as secretary of the Strabane United Football Club.
Image kindly provided by Richard Gerring, grandson of Alfred Vaughan.