Private William White
The background of this North Irish Horseman is not known at present, other than that he was from County Monaghan, and was born about 1890.
White enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 1 June 1914 (No.949). He embarked for France with C Squadron on 20 August 1914, seeing action on the retreat from Mons.
White was wounded during August or early September 1914. The incident was described by fellow Horseman Robert Sterling in a letter home dated 15 October:
I don’t know whether it has been mentioned in the papers or not about the gallant action of one of our men – a corporal named James White, from Lisbellaw, Co. Fermanagh. He and a trooper, also named White (from Co. Monaghan) were out on a reconnoitring patrol one afternoon when they were fired on by a party of Germans secreted in the fringe of a small plantation. Both men were wounded and Trooper White’s horse was shot dead. Although suffering great agony, and whilst still under fire, Corporal White succeeded in getting his comrade up behind him on his own horse, and both got away from further danger. White deserves every credit for his heroic action.
It is likely that White was evacuated to the UK for treatment of his wounds. On 9 November 1915 he was discharged as being no longer physically fit for military service (paragraph 392(xvi) King's Regulations).