Lance Corporal John Thomas Lockhart
John Thomas Lockhart was born on 29 January 1890 at Cargin, Forkhill, County Armagh, the last of five children of Royal Irish Constabulary sergeant (later petty sessions clerk at Portrush and Bushmills) John Lockhart and his wife Margaret Montgomery (nee Magill). His father died soon after John's eighteenth birthday. By 1911 he was living with his mother and three siblings at 19 Orient Gardens, Belfast, and working as a bank clerk with the Belfast Banking Company. Two years later he passed the final examination of the Institute of Bankers, gaining first place in Ireland and third in the United Kingdom.
Lockhart enlisted in the North Irish Horse between 13 and 26 September 1914 (No.1219 – later Corps of Hussars No.71288). He embarked for France with D Squadron on 1 May 1915.
In May or June 1917 Lockhart fell ill with myalgia and trench fever. He was evacuated to the UK, where he was admitted to hospital at Stockport.
Whether Lockhart saw any further service in France is not presently known. On 5 February 1919 he was transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve.
After to war he returned to work as a banker. He died at 35 Carolhill Park, Holywood Road, Belfast, on 16 December 1961.
The first image is from the Belfast Bank Great War Roll of Honour pictorial record, held in the Northern Bank Head Office, Donegall Square West, Belfast. It is sourced from Gavin Bamford's site honouring the officials of the Northern Bank and Belfast Bank who served during the two World Wars and in more recent conflicts northernbankwarmemorials.blogspot.com.au.
The second image is from the Coleraine Chronicle, January 1915, kindly provided by Nigel Henderson, Researcher at History Hub Ulster (www.greatwarbelfastclippings.com).