Corporal John (Jack) Wright DCM, MM
Corporal John (Jack) Wright (NIH Service No.1008, Corps of Hussars No.71197), enlisted on 17 August 1914 and embarked for France just three days later with C Squadron. By the end of the war he had risen to the rank of temporary Regimental Sergeant Major. He was Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazette 17 February 1915) and awarded the Military Medal (London Gazette supplement 20 August 1919).
When he enlisted, Wright was living at Cliftonville, Antrim, and was aged 32. He was a veteran of the Boer War, having served 7 years with the 2nd Royal Irish Rifles. He served in France with the Horse until returning home on 28 September 1917. On 5 May 1918 he married Margaret Stevenson and six days later joined the V Corps (North Irish Horse) Cyclist Regiment in France. In February 1919 he returned home and was discharged a month later.
The above image, which appeared in the Belfast Evening Telegraph in late 1914 or early 1915, included the caption: "Corporal Jack Wright, North Irish Horse, mentioned in despatches, is the well-known Cliftonville footballer."
Image, from Belfast Evening Telegraph, kindly provided by Nigel Henderson (see Fitzroy Presbyterian Church: Wartime Service and Sacrifice).