Private George Kidd Walton
George Kidd Walton was born on 21 March 1898 at 29 Ballybough Road, Dublin, the last of five children of sea captain Samuel Walton and his wife Robina Howe Walton (née Borthwick). By the time of the 1911 Census he was living at 6 Walter Terrace, Drumcondra, Dublin, with his parents and one surviving sibling.
Walton enlisted in the North Irish Horse between 10 and 19 April 1916 (No.2148). He trained at the regiment's Antrim reserve camp before embarking for France in 1916 or the first half of 1917, where he was posted to B or C Squadron of the 2nd North Irish Horse Regiment, which was serving as corps cavalry to X Corps until September 1917, when the regiment was disbanded and its men were transferred to the infantry.
Just prior to that, however, at the end of July, Walton transferred to the South Irish Horse (No.3180). On 1 September 1917 the two South Irish Horse regiments then in France and Belgium were disbanded and reformed as a new infantry battalion, the 7th (South Irish Horse) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment. Walton was transferred to the new battalion in November 1917 (No.25871).
The 7th (SIH) Battalion suffered heavy losses in March 1918 during the German spring offensive, and on 18 April was reduced to cadre strength, with 106 ex-cavalrymen sent to cavalry base for transfer to cavalry units. It was probably at this time that Walton was transferred to the Corps of Hussars (No.74049) and posted to the 8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars. He remained with that regiment until the end of the war, probably subsequently serving with the Army of Occupation in Germany.
In June 1923 Walton and his sister Josephine emigrated to the United States. He died in Montgomery, Hamilton, on 18 April 1974.