Private William George Dick
William George Dick was born on 15 April 1897 at Ballylesson, County Down, the last of four children of farm labourer John Dick and his wife Annie (née Kirk). By the time of the 1911 Census he was living at Ballyrobin, Killead, County Antrim, with his parents. His two sisters had died of tuberculosis over the past decade.
Dick enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 29 January 1916 (No.2097). 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 (Dick was issued regimental number 40866), 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.
Dick was wounded during Third Ypres in August 1917, and again during the retreat from St Quentin from 21 to 28 March 1918. The second wound was severe enough to prevent any further front-line service, and in September 1918 he was transferred to the Labour Corps (No.636866).
On 1 October 1919 Dick was discharged and granted a pension due to his wounds – to his head and lungs.