The Men of Roughfort and District in the Great War

Edward Magee was the son of Samuel and Lizzie Magee, née McCrea, of Craigarogan, Mallusk. He served with the 12th (Service) Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (Central Antrim Volunteers).

He was killed in action on 1 July 1916, the opening day of the Somme offensive. His headstone epitaph reads “BRAVE TO THE LAST.”

He is locally commemorated on the Hydepark Presbyterian Church Royal British Legion Memorial Plaque, the Roughfort L.O.L. No. 1070 Roll of Honour and the Carnmoney District Roll of Honour.

Francis Rusk was the son of David and Jane Rusk, née McDermott, of Craigarogan, Mallusk. He enlisted with the 19th Reserve Battalion and later served with the 8th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles.

He was killed in action on 27 October 1916. His headstone bears the epitaph “HIS DUTY NOBLY DONE.”

Francis is locally commemorated on the Hydepark Presbyterian Church Royal British Legion Memorial Plaque.

Rifleman Thomas Edward Martin Jamison, 12/17944, and Rifleman Thomas Sidney Alexander Jamison, 12/17942, were sons of Thomas and Jane “Jeanie” Jamison, née Kane, of Hydepark, Mallusk.

Sidney was killed in action on 1 July 1916 during the opening day of the Somme offensive. He was 20 years old and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing.

Edward was wounded and taken prisoner on the same day. A postcard later reached his father confirming that he was a wounded prisoner in Germany. Edward died on 26 August 1916 from illness associated with a gunshot wound to his lungs and is buried in Hamburg Cemetery, Germany.

The brothers are remembered together on a family memorial formerly displayed in Hydepark Methodist Church, as well as on local Rolls of Honour.

Robert Stewart was the son of James and Martha Stewart, née Greer, of Hydepark, Mallusk. He enlisted in September 1914 and entered the theatre of war on 5 October 1915.

He was killed during an enemy bombardment on 8 March 1917. A local newspaper report noted that his father, James Stewart, was serving in the same battalion.

Robert is locally commemorated on the Carnmoney Parish Church of Ireland memorial tablet and the Hydepark Presbyterian Church Royal British Legion Memorial Plaque.

Hugh Kelso was the son of William John and Maggie Kelso, née Elliott, of Craigarogan, Mallusk. He enlisted with the 18th Reserve Battalion Royal Irish Rifles and was later attached to the 8th Battalion.

He was killed in action on 24 March 1917. News of his death was reported locally after his father received official notification.

Hugh is remembered on the Hydepark Presbyterian Church Royal British Legion Memorial Plaque.

Samuel Hugh Walker was the son of William and Agnes Jane Walker, formerly Guthrie née Houston, of Roughfort, Mallusk.

He was killed during a bombardment on 29 May 1917. The research material records seven casualties during the action, four killed and three wounded.

Samuel is commemorated on the St Patrick’s Templepatrick Church of Ireland memorial lectern, the Roughfort L.O.L. No. 1070 Roll of Honour and the Carnmoney District Roll of Honour.

Thomas Henry Christie was the son of William Henry and Mary Christie, née Johnson, and husband of Sarah Jane Christie, née Geddis, of Cottonmount, Mallusk.

He was killed in action on 16 August 1917 during the Third Battle of Ypres, in the fighting associated with the Battle of Langemarck.

With no known grave, Thomas is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial. He is also remembered on the Antrim First Presbyterian Church Roll of Honour and Antrim Town War Memorial.

William John Anderson was the son of Arthur and Margaret Anderson, née Montgomery, of Roughfort, Mallusk.

He was killed in action during the Battle of Cambrai on 22 November 1917 and is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial at Louverval, France.

William is locally commemorated on the Hydepark Presbyterian Church Royal British Legion memorial tablet.

Robert James McMillan was the son of Mrs Jane McMillan of 10 Oldpark Road, Belfast, formerly of Hydepark, Mallusk. A contemporary report stated that his mother and brother lived at Hydepark.

He was killed in action during the Battle of Cambrai on 22 November 1917. His commemoration was previously recorded on the Thiepval Memorial and was later moved to the Cambrai Memorial, Louverval.

Possible census records have been identified during research, but they are not presented here as confirmed because the link has not yet been positively established.

Joseph Robinson was the son of Robert and Elizabeth Robinson, née Gilliland, and husband of Sarah Robinson, née Hoy, of Roughfort, Mallusk.

He sustained a shrapnel wound to the head during the Battle of Messines in 1917 and was later discharged as no longer physically fit for war service. He died at Craigarogan, Templepatrick, on 12 August 1918 from meningitis and haemorrhage associated with a head wound.

The supplied research notes evidence suggesting that Joseph is buried in Templepatrick Burying Ground, although the exact burial plot has not been identified. He is locally commemorated on the Templepatrick Presbyterian Church Roll of Honour.

John Carruth was the fourth son of Elisha and Jane Carruth, née Reid, and was closely connected with the Roughfort district through his work in education. Before military service he served as principal of Roughfort School.

He obtained his commission through Queen’s University Officer Training Corps in September 1915 and was gazetted to the 6th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers on 15 October 1915. He served at the Somme and was later invalided home with trench fever.

After returning to health he was attached to the 1st Royal Irish Rifles. He later served as a bombing officer at the Curragh Camp before being posted overseas again. On the night of 7 October 1918 his battalion came under shell fire; he was badly wounded and taken to No. 50 Casualty Clearing Station, where he died on 10 October 1918.

A memorial to John survives in the former Roughfort schoolhouse, preserving his place in the educational as well as the wartime history of the district.

Matthew Carruth was a younger brother of John Carruth and, like John, worked as a teacher. Contemporary reporting records that he had spent three years at the Model School in Londonderry before receiving his commission.

He served with the Royal Irish Regiment attached to the Connaught Rangers. The supplied newspaper report records that he was killed in action on the 9th, after only a short period at the front, aged 26.

Matthew is listed alongside his brother John on the Hyde Park Roll of Honour. The archive will be updated if further verified service details become available.

John Mulholland was born to Lizzie Mulholland of Hyde Park and worked as a tailor before enlisting with the Royal Irish Rifles.

The supplied research records two periods of service on the Western Front with the 12th Battalion: 3 October 1915 to 9 June 1916 and 18 December 1916 to 29 August 1917. He was discharged on 13 October 1917 because of vascular disease of the heart and received Silver War Badge No. 246783.

John later died at his home address from mitral heart disease and is buried in Mallusk Cemetery. He has been added to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database as a post-discharge fatality and is commemorated in the United Kingdom Book of Remembrance while the burial location is verified.

He is also commemorated in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Roll of Honour for the Hyde Park congregation.

Alexander McKnight was born at Templepatrick on 23 March 1898 and lived with his parents William John and Agnes McKnight, née Kelso, of Roughfort, Mallusk.

His service included shell shock, gas exposure and a gunshot wound. He was officially discharged on 7 February 1919 as physically unfit because of wounds and was awarded Silver War Badge No. B112535.

Eight days after discharge, Alexander died from influenza and pneumonia. The supplied research describes him as an “unofficial Ulster Division fatality” because he was not historically treated as an official war-related fatality.

He is commemorated on the St Patrick’s Church Lectern and the Hydepark Presbyterian Church Royal British Legion Memorial Plaque.