Lieutenant John Elliott O'Neill
John Elliott O'Neill was born (recorded as John Neal) on 17 July 1892 at Gaulstown, Milltown, County Westmeath, the second of two children of groom and coachman Hugh O'Neill (or Neill) and his wife Agnes (nee Brydon (or Breden)). At the time of the 1911 Census he was living at 36.1 Academy Terrace and Fairman Place, Londonderry, with his widowed mother and older brother, and was working as a clerk (a later record gave his occupation as estate agent).
O'Neill enlisted in the North Irish Horse at Londonderry on 31 August 1914 (No.1054 – later Corps of Hussars No.71213). (He gave his birthplace as Templemore, Londonderry.) On 16 September he was promoted to lance corporal, on 1 October to corporal, and on 9 February the following year to sergeant.
In the first half of 1915 he embarked for England with F Squadron, where they awaited orders for France. On 12 July, however, O'Neill was one of about two dozen men of the squadron who volunteered to be attached as Military Mounted Police with the 54th (East Anglian) Division's Headquarters Unit, which was under orders to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. They sailed from Devonport on HMT Manitou on 29 July 1915, joining the landing at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli, on 16 August.
At the end of the year the Gallipoli campaign was abandoned and the North Irish Horse military policemen moved with the 54th Division to Egypt. O'Neill was recorded as being 'at duty' at Sidi Bishr, Alexandria, on 15 January 1916.
In late 1917 O'Neill applied for a commission, on 12 December proceeding to the military school at Zeitoun, Cairo, for a course of training as an infantry officer. On 17 March 1918 he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and posted to the 5th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, which at the time was stationed Palestine, having taken part in Allenby's successful campaign there. In June 1918 the 5th Battalion moved to France, joining the final phase of the Advance to Victory offensive and seeing hard fighting on 8 October and 8 November.
On 17 September 1919 he was promoted to lieutenant (an automatic step after 18 months as an officer), and relinquished his commission on the completion of his service on 30 November that year.
After the war O'Neill returned to Londonderry, residing at 17 Fairman Place. On 1 December 1926 he was appointed to the Clerical Class of the Civil Service. Two years later he was transferred from the Ministry of Pensions to the Land Purchase Commission of Northern Ireland. He died at 10 Ormiston Park, Belfast, on 18 January 1963 and was buried in the City Cemetery, Londonderry.
This page last updated 12 July 2026.