Marcus Maitland was the eldest son of William Henry and Emma / Emily Maitland. He was born about 1895 in Magherafelt. His mother died in Magherafelt on 7th March 1899, aged 33. The 1901 census lists ‘Marques’ as age 7 living with grandparents at house 6 in Queen Street, Newry, County Down. His father remarried in 1901. Prior to enlistment Marcus Maitland was employed in the wholesale department of the Bank Buildings, Belfast. Marcus volunteered on 28th May 1915 and was trained at Newcastle and Ballykinlar, where he was rapidly promoted to sergeant. Sergeant Marcus Maitland was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme on Saturday 1st July 1916.
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.
