NAME; Clawson,
Alexander
RANK; Corporal
SERV. NO; 12/17364
UNIT/SERVICE; 12th
Battalion
REGIMENT; Royal Irish
Rifles
BORN; Carrickfergus
1892
LIVED; Irish Quarter
West, Carrickfergus
ENLISTED; 15
September 1914, Carrickfergus aged 24
FATE; Survived the War
CEMETERY; N/A
CHURCH; St Nicholas
Church of Ireland
MEMORIAL; N/A
REMARKS; Alexander
was born in Carrickfergus in 1892 the son of John and Henrietta Clawson and
brother of Lizzie, Maggie, William (also served with 12th Battalion)
and John. By 1901 Alexander was 12 years
old, living with the family in Irish Quarter South and working at the local
mill. He married Lettice Ethel Burgess
at St Nicholas Church 6 February 1910 and shortly after moved in with his
mother and father in law to their house in Irish Quarter West. Alexander and Lettice had 3 children,
Alexander Jnr born 29 October 1910, Elizabeth 16 March 1916 and ? born 1 April
1919. Prior to the war Alexander was
working as a general labourer and was a member of the Central
Antrim UVF. On 15th
September 1914 at Barn
Mills School
he enlisted into the 12th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles. Following training he was posted to France for
active service in October 1915. He
served across the Western Front from the end of 1915 until 12 August 1918 when
he was returned to the home service and finally demobilised on 1 August 1919 by
which time he was with the 3rd Battalion. He was promoted to lance corporal on 7
February 1917 and then to corporal on 4 November 1917. Twice wounded, firstly 11 August 1917 with a
gunshot wound to the back and then on 18 April 1918 with a gunshot wound to the
right arm. On both occasions he was
patched up and returned to active service following a period of recovery. After the war he returned to his home on
Irish Quarter West and went back to work as a labourer raising his young
family.
NAME; Clawson, William James
RANK; Rifleman
SERV. NO; 18911
UNIT/SERVICE; 12th
Battalion
REGIMENT; Royal Irish
Rifles
BORN; Carrickfergus
abt. 1893
LIVED; Irish Quarter
South
ENLISTED; Belfast Town Hall, September 26 1914 aged 21
FATE; Survived the
war
CEMETERY; N/A
CHURCH; Church of Ireland
MEMORIAL; N/A
REMARKS; Born in
Carrickfergus 1893 the son of John and Henrietta Clawson and brother of Lizzie,
Maggie, Alexander (also served with 12th Battalion) and John. In 1901 he is listed as a school boy living
with his family in Irish Quarter South.
The entire family were members of St Nicholas Church of Ireland. By 1914 William was living with the family in
Wilson’s Place,
working as a labourer in the salt works and was an active member of LOL 947. When war broke out he enlisted into the 12th
Battalion Royal Irish Rifles in September 1914 at Belfast Town Hall. His medical records report him to be 5 foot 6
inches tall with brown hair, brown eyes and a tattoo of rose and flags on left
forearm.
Following training he
was posted to France
on active service in October 1915 and had three tours to the Western Front
until 1918 (3/10/15 – 8/7/16. 18/12/16 – 13/6/17 and 23/3/18 – 21/4/18).
His service record
has a number of infractions throughout his time of service including being
AWOL, resisting arrest following creating a disturbance while drunk. He suffered a gun shot wound to the shoulder
on 7 June 1917 during fighting at Messines Ridge and was sent to hospital in Belfast and Whitehead
between 27 July 1917 and 13 August 1917.
On his return to duty he was transferred to the 18th Reserve Battalion. He spent three months in Portobello Military
Hospital Dublin between December 1917 and March 1918
with gonorrhoea. Following this he was
charged with desertion in June 1918, the war having clearly taken its toll on
him. In March 1933 while living in
Davy’s Street he received a letter from the war pensions department informing
him that his war gratuity had been forfeited as a result of his desertion and
this would not change. His trial for
desertion was dispensed of and eventually he was recognised as being fully
discharged from the army.
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