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Private William Joseph Belton

 

William Joseph Belton was born on 12 October 1897 at Cortober, Carrick-on-Shannon, County Roscommon, the fifth of eight children of gas manager John Belton and his wife Isabella Jane (née Maxwell). By the time of the 1911 Census he was living at nearby Danesfort with his parents and four siblings and working as a shop apprentice.

Belton enlisted in the North Irish Horse at some point following the declaration of war in August 1914 (regimental number unknown). He trained at the regiment's Antrim reserve camp until November 1916, when he and around 100 other North Irish Horsemen volunteered to transfer to the Royal Irish Rifles. The formal transfer took place on 7 December (Belton was issued regimental number 40856), and on that day the men embarked for France. There they were posted to the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, joining it on the Somme front on 12 December.

At some point, probably in 1918, he was posted to the 107th Brigade's Trench Mortar Battery.

Belton was severely wounded in the left forearm at the end of September 1918 during the Advance to Victory offensive. He was treated at the No.18 General Hospital before being evacuated to the UK.