Private William Frederick Blackwood White
William Frederick Blackwood White (later Lytton-White) was born on 2 December 1897 at 28 Belmont Avenue, Belfast, the last of four children of artist Benoni William White and his wife Elizabeth Helen Louise White (née Rose-Cleland). At the time of the 1911 Census he was living at 62 King's Road, Belfast, with his mother and three siblings. They later moved to 83 Antrim Road.
White enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 1 October 1914 (No.1245 – later Corps of Hussars No.71300). His older brother Benoni Richard White had enlisted in the regiment a month earlier. The brothers were referred to in an article in the County Down Herald of 12 March 1915:
In the interesting history of the Ross-Cleland family, which was published in our columns last week, we omitted to chronicle the interesting fact that two sons of Mrs. White, of Belfast, who was a Miss Ross-Cleland, have been loyal to the martial traditions of the family. We refer to Trumpeter Blackwood White, who is stationed with the North Irish Horse ("A" Squadron) at Cople, near Bedford; and his brother, Trooper Richard White, who is in camp with the North Irish Horse at Antrim.
On 1 May 1915 both brothers embarked for France with D Squadron, which at the time was serving as divisional cavalry to the 51st Division.
In May 1916 D Squadron came together with A and E Squadrons to form the 1st North Irish Horse Regiment, serving as corps cavalry to VII, XIX, then V Corps until February-March 1918, when the regiment was dismounted and converted to a cyclist unit, serving as corps cyclists to V Corps until the end of the war.
It seems that at some point White returned to the North Irish Horse depot at Antrim. Records show that he was attached to the Staffordshire Yeomanry, which suggests that he was part of a draft of Horsemen from the Antrim camp who embarked for Egypt in January 1918, where they were posted to the 1/1st Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment), serving with that regiment in the Palestine campaign.
White was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve, on 7 April 1919.
After the war he returned to 83 Antrim Road, before moving to England. At the time of the 1939 Register he was living at 15 Wallham Road, Manchester, with his wife Marion, and working as a linen manufacturer's warehouse manager.