Friends of the Somme - Mid Ulster Branch  
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19327   Rifleman John Wilson
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Dated added: 01/01/2016   Last updated: 21/05/2020
Personal Details
Regiment/Service: 12th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles (British Army)
Died: 01/07/1916 (Killed in Action)
Age: 24
Summary      
John Wilson was the son of Mrs Mary Wilson. John was born about 1892 in Magherafelt. By the time of the 1901 census the family had moved to Ahoghill Village, County Antrim. His mother was a linen dealer. John left school and was working as a tender. He was a marathon runner and also played for Ahoghill Football Club. John Wilson enlisted in Ballymena. Rifleman John Wilson was serving with the 12th Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles when he was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme on Saturday 1st July 1916.
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Cemetery Details
Cemetery: Thiepval Memorial
  Thiepval, Somme
Grave Ref: Face 15A-15B
CWGC Casualty 822513
Summary      
The Thiepval Memorial will be found on the D73, next to the village of Thiepval, off the main Bapaume to Albert road (D929). Each year a major ceremony is held at the memorial on 1 July.
References and Links
No Link Reference Map Doc
1 1901 Census lists Wilson family 1901 census lists John as age 9 living with the family at house 61 in Ahoghill Village, Antrim
2 1911 Census lists Wilson family 1911 census lists John as age 19 living with the family at house 63 in Ahoghill Town, Antrim
3 Ballymena 1914-1918 Details of Rifleman John Wilson including small photo
4 Ballymena Weekly War 1916 Weekly War, August 1916, Rifleman John Wilson including photo
5 National Archives UK Medal card of Rifleman John Wilson can be purchased here
Magherafelt District's War Dead Acknowledgements 2014-2023