Private Samuel Spence Biggart
Samuel Spence Biggart was born on 18 December 1893 at Gladhill, Ballymoney, County Antrim, the third of five children of farmer Robert Biggart and his wife Martha (nee Finlay). By the time of the 1911 Census he was living at Gladhill with his parents, an aunt and three siblings.
Biggart enlisted in the North Irish Horse between 2 and 8 December 1915 (No.2024 – later Corps of Hussars No.71676). He embarked for France between 1916 and 1918, where he was posted to A, D or E Squadron.
In May 1916 these three squadrons came together to form the 1st North Irish Horse Regiment, serving as corps cavalry to VII, XIX, then V Corps until March-April 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.
In August 1918, during the initial phase of the Advance to Victory offensive, Biggart was wounded (in the right buttock). He was admitted to No.55 General Hospital at Boulogne on 29 August.
He was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve, on 16 January 1919.
Samuel's brother Robert Biggart also served in the North Irish Horse during the war. At the end of 1924 they emigrated to Australia (see article below), where they became graziers in the Wagga Wagga district of New South Wales.
Weekly Irish Times, 8 November 1924
Samuel died on 7 November 1972 and was buried in the Wagga Wagga Monumental Cemetery.
Image above sourced from Billion Graves website.