Private Henry Young
Henry Young was born on 22 March 1873 at 45 Silver Grove Street, Belfast, the fourth of five children of photographer John Young and his wife Isabella (née Copeland). By 1896 he was working as a spirit grocer and living at 36 Balfour Avenue. On 13 May that year he married Charlotte Kidd at St Thomas's Church of Ireland Parish Church in Belfast. The couple had nine children over the next sixteen years.
Young enlisted in the Imperial Yeomanry at Belfast on 5 March 1901 (No.34503). He served in South Africa in the Boer War with the 74th (Dublin) Company from 13 April 1901, returning home on 1 September the following year. He was discharged on 7 September 1902.
By the time of the 1911 Census, Young was working as a shipyard labourer and living at 7 Brussels Street, Belfast, with his wife Charlotte and their four surviving children (another would be born a year later). Charlotte died on 18 January 1914. They were living at 31 Vicarage Street at the time, Henry working as a butler.
On 31 December 1914 Young married widow Mary Agnes Frampton (née Russell) at the Holy Trinity Church of Ireland Parish Church, Belfast. She had had ten children by her previous marrage, eight surviving. Henry and Mary had two more children in the next two years.
Young enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 4 February 1915 (No.1446). He trained at the regiment's Antrim reserve depot before embarking for France on 17 November 1915 with F Squadron, which at the time was serving as divisional cavalry to the 33rd Division.
In June 1916 F Squadron combined with C Squadron and the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons Service Squadron to form the 2nd North Irish Horse Regiment, serving as corps cavalry to X Corps until September 1917, when the regiment was disbanded and its men transferred to the infantry. It is probable that by then, however, Young had been posted to one of the squadrons of the 1st North Irish Horse Regiment, which remained for the time a cavalry regiment.
On 1 December 1917 he was admitted to the No.35 General Hospital at Calais suffering from myalgia. Later that month he was evacuated to the UK, where he was admitted to the Kitchener Military Hospital at Brighton.
On 29 March 1918 Young was transferred to the Royal Flying Corps (No.147560) with the rank of Air Mechanic Grade 3. Three days later the RFC became the Royal Air Force and Young was given the rank of Private Class 2. On 2 April 1919 he was demobilised and transferred to the RAF's G Reserve.
After the war Young lived with his family at 70 Beverley Street, Belfast, at least one record giving his occupation again as a butler. By 1944 he was living at 111 Westmoreland Street. He died on 25 April that year in the Belfast City Hospital and was buried in the City Cemetery.