Private Joseph Devlin
Joseph Devlin was born on 22 June 1888 in Galgorm Street, Ballymena, County Antrim, the third of thirteen children of dealer (at other times recorded as fruiterer and fish merchant) Archibald Devlin and his wife Catherine (née Mulholland). By the time of the 1911 Census he was living at 41 Ballymoney Street, Ballymena, with his parents, five of his six surviving siblings and his maternal grandfather, and working as a general labourer. The family later moved to Broughshane Street.
The timing and circumstances under which Devlin served in the North Irish Horse are not clear. According to the Ballymena Observer of 20 November 1914, he had joined the regiment since the outbreak of war. (This was repeated in that paper on 7 May 1915.)
On 1 October 1914 Devlin enlisted at Dublin in the Army Service Corps, Remount Companies (No. RTS/2844). He gave his occupation as groom.
It is possible that he had earlier attempted to enlist in the North Irish Horse but had been rejected, or was very quickly discharged, as his medical assessment with the Army Service Corps recorded his eyesight as 'very bad'. That might explain the reference in the Ballymena Observer to the North Irish Horse.
Devlin joined the Army Service Corps remounts depot at Woolwich on 2 October 1914, and two weeks later embarked for France, where he was posted to the No.2 Base Remounts Depot at Rouen. He remained in that role in France throughout the war. At the beginning of 1916, however, he was allowed home on leave. There, on 10 January, he married Rose O'Rawe in the Ballymena Roman Catholic Church.
Later that year he was briefly hospitalised in France with a contused left foot, sustained while exercising horses. On 14 June 1917 he was deprived of three days' pay for being absent whilst on a conducting party.
After the Armistice Devlin briefly served in Germany with the Army of Occupation, before returning to the UK on 17 April 1919. On 15 May he was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve.
By 1967 Devlin was living at 42 Hill Street, Ballymena. He died in the Braid Valley Hospital on 2 April that year and was buried in the New Cemetery.
Image sourced from Billion Graves website.