Lance Corporal Hamilton (Hammie) Stewart
Lance Corporal Hamilton ('Hammie') Stewart (seated), of the North Irish Horse (Service No.2244). He enlisted on 22 August 1916 at Antrim. He stated that he was 38 years old, although he was in fact 45, according to the 1911 Irish Census. He resided at 107 Lord Street, Belfast, with his wife Annie. His trade was 'weighmaster'. He stood 5'9" tall. Hammie and Annie (nee Eager) had been married at Blackburn, Lancashire on 13 July 1896. By 1916 they had 7 children, aged from 5 to 19 years. Stewart left for France in April 1917. He later served in the Labour Corps (No.576283), and the Royal Defence Corps (No.84641), a home service unit. On the reverse of the postcard is written:
To Aunt Aggie, With Hammie's Love.
The second picture shows Hammie's brother (marked 'X') Private Balfour H Stewart (Service No.M1/6941), 2nd Auxiliary Bus Company, Mechanical Transport, Royal Army Service Corps, who arrived in France on 24 October 1914 and died there, aged 31, on 4 March 1919. He is buried at Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension, grave V.G.18.
The brothers were the sons of Mr and Mrs J. H. Stewart of 1 Devon Place, Edinburgh. On the reverse of the two photographs is written, somewhat ambiguously:
Balfour H Stewart, Uncle Joe's son who never came back from the war; & his son who met in the tranchs (Belfast) the time of the war.
