Sergeant Thomas Watters Pyper
Thomas Watters Pyper was born on 17 October 1883 at Scrabo Isles, Newtownards, County Down, the second of two children of Model School teacher James Pyper and his wife Annie (formerly Keenan, born as Ryan). Around 1900 he joined the Belfast Banking Company. He is believed to have worked at the Navan Branch, County Meath, and by 1910 was an accountant in the bank's Regent Street, Newtownards branch. The following year he was living with his parents and brother at Ballygilbert, Bangor, County Down, still working as a bank clerk.
Pyper enlisted in the North Irish Horse between 2 and 7 December 1915 (No.2023 - later Corps of Hussars No.71675). He remained at the regiment's reserve at Antrim throughout the war, rising to the rank of sergeant, and acting as squadron quartermaster-sergeant.
Pyper was one of a number of men recognised for his work on the home front. According to a report in the Londonderry Sentinel of 2 September 1919:
The following list of names brought to the notice of the Secretary of State for War for valuable services in the Northern District, Irish Command, was issued officially on Friday evening, but will not be gazetted. ... Sergeant (acting Squadron Quartermaster-Sergeant) T. Pyper, North Irish Horse.
After the war he resumed work for the banking firm. By 1921 he was working in the Navan Branch, his address given as The Club House, Navan. On 31 March that year he married Catherine Eileen McElroy in St Mary's Church, Donnybrook, Dublin.
He died at Rathmines, on 28 November 1944, and was buried in the Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin.
His name is included on the St Mary's Church of Ireland Roll of Honour, Navan (see image below).
First image and some of the information above sourced from Gavin Bamford's excellent 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. Second image sourced from the Irish War Memorials site.
This page last updated 20 March 2024.