This article is based on work I carried out for a private client in Canada in 2025.
Who was William Alderdice?
William was born in Drumaghlis on 3 September 1890, the illegitimate son of Eliza Alderdice, and his early life was spent at Drumnaconagher (Dromainn Tí Chonchúir), a townland in Kilmore Civil Parish, Barony of Kinelarty, County Down in Ireland.
The 1901 census shows him at the age of 10, living with his mother and elder sister (or half sister) Lizzie Hutton. William was still at school, but at the age of 16 Lizzie had become a hemstitcher. No occupation is given for Eliza, who was unable to read or write. The family was of the Presbyterian faith, which would play an important part in William’s later military service.
The family were at the same location in 1911, but joined by Lizzie’s baby daughter Lily. William, at the age of 20, was given as a general labourer. The faith is now given as Unitarian.
On 28 September 1912, the three adults all signed the Ulster Covenant at the nearby town of Crossgar. They gave their place of residence as Listooder, which is just outside the Drumnaconagher townland. The covenant was a public statement of intent to resist the proposed introduction of Home Rule in Ireland. It is not impossible that William became a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force, raised as the paramilitary force associated with this resistance. (The circumstances of his enlistment in 1914 suggest this was the case, but specialist local research may reveal more about this. There were companies based in Ballynahinch and Crossgar).
Eliza Alderdice died of bronchitis at home on 16 March 1917, while William was in the army. Her address, and that of Lizzie, was given as Raleagh, another townland adjacent to Drumnaconagher. It is not clear from these variations whether they were physically moving from location to location; given they were what was evidently a low-income household, it is quite possible that landlords and rents were driving periodic relocations.
William, back from military service as explained below, married Mary Jane Alexander on 23 May 1919 at the Rademon Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Meeting House, which was in Crossgar.
Enlistment and training
William completed enlistment in Downpatrick on 17 September 1914.
At his attestation, William said that he had been born in Drumnaconagher, was now aged 22 years and one one month, unmarried and employed as a carter. He said that he had no previous official military experience (information about membership of the Ulster Volunteer Force was not requested). It was noted that his faith was Unitarian and that his next of kin was his mother Eliza Alderdice of Listooder.
He also underwent a medical examination. It was recorded that William stood 5 feet 7.5 inches in height, weighed 138 pounds, and had an expanded chest of 36.5 inches. This made him taller and heavier than the national average by the standards of the day. It was noted for identification purposes that he had a fresh complexion, blue eyes, fair hair, and that there was a scar on his sternum. He was passed as fit for general service.
As a volunteer, it was William’s own choice to join the Royal Irish Rifles but there may be more to it than that. He was posted to join a new unit that was being raised, known as the 13th (Service) Battalion or County Down Volunteers. Newspapers printed a few days after William enlisted reported that over 150 men who were previously members of the 1st East Down and 1st South Down Battalions of the Ulster Volunteer Force had enlisted at the barracks at the Mall in Downpatrick and then been sent to join the 13th (Service) Battalion which was at Clandeboye.
He agreed to a “short service” engagement. This required him to serve for three years or the duration of the war, which proved longer, but with assurances that he would be discharged with all speed should the war not last that long. On completing the procedures, William was made Private 13/17132. His rank is sometimes shown as Rifleman: this is because the Royal Irish Rifles was one of a select few regiments and battalions that were allowed the use of the term, which was known as a “style”. It was an historic, archaic term rather than anything meaningful as all British infantry had long since been converted to the rifle, but it was nonetheless something that was seen as a privilege.
The 13th (Service) Battalion was under orders of the 2nd Brigade of the Ulster Division: these formations would later be renamed as the 109th Infantry Brigade and the 36th (Ulster) Division.
Service in France (1)
The 36th (Ulster) Division was eventually judged to be sufficiently trained that it could be sent overseas to join the British Expeditionary Force in France, and William was with his battalion when it sailed from Folkestone on 4 October 1915. It landed at Boulogne in France later the same day. (The date of entry given by the medal roll says 5 October 1915, which is technically incorrect but repeated for all members of the battalion).
It can be assumed that William moved with the battalion and took part in the actions described in the war diary, until 6 February 1916 when he was sent to a Trench Mortar School. After eleven days, on 17 February 1916 he was posted to join a new unit being formed at the school. William’s service record says it was the 118th Trench Mortar Battery but I believe this is incorrect. The adjutant of the 36th (Ulster) Division stated in information attached to his war diary and dated 17 February that a new 115th Trench Mortar Battery was being attached to 107th Infantry Brigade, 116th to 108th Infantry Brigade, and 119th to 109th Infantry Brigade. I suspect, but cannot prove, that William was actually with 116th Trench Mortar Battery and back in the brigade from which he had recently been sent to training. In mid-March, these small units were renamed, and what had been 116th Trench Mortar Battery was renamed as Y/36 Trench Mortar Battery. Sadly, it did not leave a war diary before August 1916.
On 4 April 1916, William was admitted as a patient of 109th Field Ambulance of the Royal Army Medical Corps located at Varennes. He was found to be suffering from scabies, and was sent on the same day to the Divisional Rest Station, which was being operated by 110th Field Ambulance and located at Clairfaye. William returned to duty on 6 April 1916.
1 July 1916 is arguably the most important day in the history of the 36th (Ulster) Division. It marked the start of the Battle of the Somme, in which the division carried out an attack on the key Schwaben Redoubt position and acquitted itself well, although with terrible casualties. The date has entered Ulster folklore for this reason. It is however far from clear whether William had much of a chance to participate, for on that day he was admitted to 3rd Casualty Clearing Station at Puchevillers, where he was diagnosed as “ICT knee”. This meant “inflammation of the connective tissue” and often referred to a sprain, torn muscle or similar.
Next day, 2 July 1916, William arrived by a hospital train and was admitted to the 7th Canadian General Hospital at Le Tréport on the French coast. The notes now say it was his right knee, which had developed a septic ulcer.
William was returned to England by hospital ship on 16 July 1916. At this point, he would be struck off the strength of his unit, and while he was physically in hospital and convalescing he would be on the books of his regiment’s depot.
Back at home
It was not until 20 October 1916 that William was regarded as fit to resume training. He was posted for this purpose to the 20th (Reserve) Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles which was located at Newtownards.
William was appointed to Lance-Corporal on 12 December 1916.
On 17 September 1916 he gained an increase in wages due to what was known as proficiency pay. It was associated with him earning his first Good Conduct Badge. This was a standard award but not easy to achieve for it required the man to serve for two years without a serious entry in his disciplinary record. As the date was two years after he enlisted, it appears that he had maintained a clean record throughout his serve so far. The badge was a single chevron stripe, sewn on the left cuff of the tunic, pointing up towards the elbow.
Service in France (2)
William returned to France overnight on 18-19 December 1916 when he sailed as part of a reinforcement draft, going from Southampton to Le Havre. On arrival, the draft proceeded to 36 Infantry Base Depot, a holding camp at Harfleur, from which drafts were sent on to the units of the 36th (Ulster) Division.
On 14 January 1917, he left Harfleur as part of a draft sent to join his old 13th (Service) Battalion. His service record states that it joined the battalion in the field three days later. The battalion war diary makes no mention of it, but this is not unusual.
William’s mother died on 16 March 1917. Exactly how and when he was informed of it is unknown.
On 13 November 1917, William’s battalion merged with the 11th (Service) Battalion, which in 1914 had been formed from the South Antrim Volunteers. It was now to be known as the 11/13th Battalion.
On 18 February 1918, the battalion was disbanded. This was part of a restructuring of the British infantry in France as a way of addressing an increasingly serious manpower shortage. One battalion in four was disbanded and the traditional command structure of a brigade having four battalions was changed to three. The surplus men from the disbanded battalions were to be posted to bring the other battalions up to full strength. The men of the former 11/13th Battalion at first formed a temporary unit called 22nd Entrenching Battalion.
William participated in the First Battles of the Somme, 1918, the defence against the huge German offensive Operation “Michael”, while with this battalion.
On 5 April 1918, as the 22nd Entrenching Battalion was being broken up to fulfill its original purpose of re-filling other units, William was posted to his regiment’s 12th (Service) Battalion. This had been raised in 1914 from the Central Antrim Volunteers. The battalion’s war diary reports the arrival of 434 men on 7 April.
William’s time with his new battalion was only a matter of a week, for he sustained a bullet wound to his right hand and a minor wound to his face on 14 April 1918. This was during the Battle of the Lys, another defence against a German offensive, this being Operation “Georgette”.
He was evacuated via the 1/3rd West Riding Field Ambulance and 36th Casualty Clearing Station at “Bandaghem” (an invented place name near Roesbrugge), arriving at 22nd General Hospital at Dannes-Camiers. From there, on a date which is obscure in his records but in early May 1918, he was moved to the 14th Convalescent Depot at Trouville.
On 22 May 1918 William was sent to “A” Infantry Base Depot camp at Le Havre, and after three days he was posted back to the 12th (Service) Battalion. It appears though, that he did not join it in the field until 14 June 1918. It is not mentioned in his record, but most divisions now had a practice of having their own holding camp where incoming drafts would be held until the battalion was in a position to receive them.
William was promoted on 1 October 1918, becoming a Corporal and appointed Lance-Sergeant.
Between 7 and 21 November 1918, William had a standard period of two weeks of home leave. This meant that he had seen the last of his fighting, for on 11 November hostilities ended in France and Flanders by Germany agreeing conditions of an armistice. The date of 19 November 1918 and a posting to the depot appears in William’s record but its purpose is not clear in these circumstances. He does appear to have then returned to France.
William was returned to England on 16 December 1918. There is then a gap in our knowledge before on 6 January 1919 he was posted to his regiment’s 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, which was located at Larkhill and Durrington on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.
End of service
On 3 February 1919, as the first step in his demobilisation, William underwent a medical examination held at Number 10 Camp at Durrington. He was found to be fully fit and no claim to disability pension was raised. The document that covers this gives his intended private address as Sunnyside, Ballynahinch.
William arrived at the Number 1 Dispersal Unit at Oswestry in Shropshire on 15 February 1919, where he was demobilised and returned to civilian life. This unit handled the demobilisation of men resident in Ireland. He was then granted four weeks of home leave. At its conclusion on 15 March 1919, William was transferred to Class Z Army Reserve. The government retained men in Class Z in case it needed to urgently recall them in the event of an emergency. As things turned out, the men of Class Z were not required and all were formally discharged from any further military liability on 31 March 1920.
Links
With thanks to Allie Nickell (https://bsky.app/profile/alliethinks.bsky.social) for her ability to read the place of birth, for it defeated me!