Private Samuel Crawford
Samuel Crawford was born on 2 October 1893 at Loughconley, Broughshane, County Antrim, the seventh of eight children of farmer Thomas Crawford and his wife Agnes (née Crawford). By the time of the 1911 Census he was living at Tullymore, Broughshane, with his parents and four of his siblings.
Crawford enlisted in the North Irish Horse between 6 and 8 November 1915 (No.1804 – later Corps of Hussars No.71569). He trained at the regiment's Antrim reserve camp before embarking for France sometime between 1916 and 1918, where he was posted to one of the squadrons of the 1st North Irish Horse Regiment. This regiment served as corps cavalry to VII, XIX, then V Corps from its establishment in May 1916 until February-March 1918, when it was dismounted and converted to a cyclist unit, serving as corps cyclists to V Corps until the end of the war.
Crawford remained with the regiment throughout the war. According to the Belfast News-Letter of 19 September 1918 he had recently been gassed.
On 10 March 1919 he was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve.
Two of Crawford's brothers also served in the war. Thomas Crawford, in the 15th Battalion, Canadian Infantry, was killed in action on 2 September 1918. Robert Crawford served in the Canadian Field Artillery and the 2nd Canadian Tank Battalion.