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.
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.
