Private Edwin Blow Weatherup

 

Edwin Blow Weatherup was born on 10 January 1897 in Nelson Street, Carrickfergus, County Antrim, the seventh of eight children of fire clay goods merchant James Weatherup and his wife Emily Alberta (née Wallace). By the time of the 1911 Census he was living in Eglinton Street, Belfast, with his parents and five of his siblings. He later worked as a clerk in the Harland and Wolff shipyard.

Weatherup enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 18 or 19 November 1915 (No.1923). He trained at the regiment's Antrim reserve depot before embarking for France in 1916 or the first half of 1917, where he was posted to one of the squadrons of the 1st or 2nd North Irish Horse Regiments.

In August-September 1917 the 2nd NIH Regiment was disbanded and its men, together with some surplus to the needs of the 1st NIH Regiment, were transferred to the Royal Irish Fusiliers, an infantry regiment. Most, including Weatherup, were transferred on 20 September and posted to the 9th (Service) Battalion – renamed the 9th (North Irish Horse) Battalion – joining it in the field at Ruyaulcourt five days later. Weatherup was issued regimental number 41450.

He probably saw action with the battalion at the Battle of Cambrai in November and December 1917.

No further information has been discovered about his service during the war.

On 20 April 1921 Weatherup emigrated to Canada, sailing from Liverpool for Quebec. He died in New Brunswick, Canada, in 1979.