Friends of the Somme - Mid Ulster Branch  
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Date Name Information
13/02/2025 Pte. William James Turkington 02721
13/02/2025 Pte. William James Turkington 02720
13/02/2025 Pte. William James Turkington The CWGC record Private William James Turkington as the son of William James and Hannah Turkington of 19 University Avenue, Belfast.
13/02/2025 Pte. William James Turkington Private William Turkington is commemorated on the Great Northern Railway of Ireland War Memorial, which is in Lanyon Place Station in Belfast.
13/02/2025 Pte. William James Turkington Private William Turkington has no known grave and is commemorated on Panel 10 of the Cambrai Memorial at Louverval.
13/02/2025 Pte. William James Turkington Private William James Turkington was serving with the 9th Battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers when he was killed in action at the Battle of Cambrai on Friday 23rd November 1917, a week after his 26th birthday.
13/02/2025 Pte. William James Turkington A couple of months later the battalion was disbanded and its men, following training, were transferred to the Royal Irish Fusiliers on 20th September and were posted to the 9th Battalion.
13/02/2025 Pte. William James Turkington By June 1917 he had risen to the rank of squadron quartermaster-sergeant. Then, according to a later report in the Belfast Newsletter, "in order to get to the front more quickly he gave up his stripes and proceeded on active service". There he joined his squadron, which since June 1916 had been part of the 2nd Battalion of the North Irish Horse.
13/02/2025 Pte. William James Turkington William enlisted in the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons Service Squadron at Belfast. On 6th October 1915 the squadron embarked for France. Turkington, however, remained at the reinforcements depot at Enniskillen.
13/02/2025 Pte. William James Turkington The 1911 census lists William James as age 19, living with the family at house 15 in Ulsterville Gardens, Belfast. William had left school and was employed as a railway clerk.
13/02/2025 Pte. William James Turkington The 1901 census lists William James as age 8, living with the family at house 69 in Dunluce Avenue, Belfast. His father was a railway porter.
13/02/2025 Pte. William James Turkington Sometime between April 1896 and the census of 1901, the family moved to Belfast.
13/02/2025 Pte. William James Turkington Family: William James Turkington, Hannah L Turkington, Mabel A Turkington (born 15th October 1883), Lily Agnes Turkington (born 1st February 1886), Ella Turkington (born 14th March 1887), Amanda Turkington (born 17th May 1888), William James Turkington (born 15th November 1891), David Oliver Turkington (born 11th January 1893), Emma Maud Turkington (born 7th April 1896).
13/02/2025 Pte. William James Turkington William James Turkington was born on 15th November 1891 in Killygarvan, near Donaghy, just outside Cookstown. He was the fifth of seven children, all born in the Cookstown area.
13/02/2025 Pte. William James Turkington William James Turkington was the eldest son of William James and Hannah Turkington. William James Turkington and Hannah L Millar were married on 5th December 1882 in the district of Cookstown.
11/02/2025 Pte. Samuel Andrew Draffin The 1901 census lists Andrew Samuel as age 6, living with relatives at house 4 in Drumgar, Tynan, County Armagh. They were a farming family.
11/02/2025 Pte. Samuel Andrew Draffin The 1911 census lists Samuel as age 16, living at house 5 in Drumgar, Tynan, County Armagh. He was living with relatives, Bole was his mother’s maiden name. He was 16 years old.
11/02/2025 Pte. Samuel Andrew Draffin 02719
11/02/2025 Pte. Samuel Andrew Draffin 02718
11/02/2025 Pte. Samuel Andrew Draffin Private Samuel Draffin is NOT listed on any local war memorial, either in Cookstown or Hull.
11/02/2025 Pte. Samuel Andrew Draffin Private Samuel Draffin is buried at New Irish Farm, Belgium.
11/02/2025 Pte. Samuel Andrew Draffin Private Draffin was killed at Ypres, on 16th August 1917. He was 22 years old.
11/02/2025 Pte. Samuel Andrew Draffin Private Samuel Draffin arrived in France with the 9th Battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers on 26th March 1917.
11/02/2025 Pte. Samuel Andrew Draffin Samuel served with the Royal Field Artillery for a time, Service No. 128029.
11/02/2025 Pte. Samuel Andrew Draffin Samuel’s father was a tramway inspector. He lived with his wife at 5 Roseberry Street, Albert Avenue, Hull.
11/02/2025 Pte. Samuel Andrew Draffin Samuel enlisted in Hull, Yorkshire.
11/02/2025 Pte. Samuel Andrew Draffin Prior to enlisting, Samuel lived at 13 Ventor Street, Hull. He was a farmer.
11/02/2025 Pte. Samuel Andrew Draffin It seems Samuel’s parents moved to Hull, England, leaving Samuel with relatives.
11/02/2025 Pte. Samuel Andrew Draffin Samuel Draffin was born on 11th January 1895 in Cookstown.
11/02/2025 Pte. Samuel Andrew Draffin Samuel Andrew Draffin was the son and only child of William James and Margaret Draffin. William Draffin and Margaret Bole were married on 14th March 1893 in the district of Armagh.
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