Galway, Albert Brice

Albert Brice Galway

was born at Kilkeel on 5th October 1898 to Brice Galway (watchmaker) and Annie Elizabeth Galway nee Reid. They had married on 29th December 1897 at Eglish Presbyterian Church.

In 1901 Albert lived in house 2, Broad Street, Magherafelt, Co. Londonderry with his parents and a servant, Jane Mawhinney (17).

Annie Elizabeth Galway died aged 37 on 31st March 1908. She was recorded as 'wife of a watchmaker'.

Mid-Ulster Mail, 27th November 1909

By 1911 the property was known as house 7. Albert lived with his father and a servant, Mary Mawhinney (18).

On 3rd April 1917 Albert joined Northern Bank at Carrick-on-Shannon branch. 

Northern Bank, Carrick-on-Shannon branch

On 5th May 1917 Galway volunteered and enlisted into the North Irish Horse as a Private with Service Number 71846. 

His Army Service Record is available and consists of 23 scanned pages. Albert records his occupation as a Bank Clerk. The first page is displayed below:

Army Service Record - A B Galway (1st page)

Later on, Albert transferred to the Army Cyclist Corps with Service Number 23921.

This section is taken from the website 'North Irish Horse in the Great War' 

"Galway enlisted in the North Irish Horse at Boyle on 16 May 1917, joining the regiment at Antrim nine days later (No.2461 – later Corps of Hussars No.71846). While in training at the regiment's Antrim base depot he qualified as a 1st Class Shot.

On 5 November 1918 Galway embarked for France with a reinforcement draft for the North Irish Horse Cyclist Regiment. They joined the regiment in the field on 22 November, eleven days after the Armistice had brought an end to the fighting.

On 7 June 1919 Galway was one of twenty-two men of the North Irish Horse Cyclist Regiment who volunteered to transfer to the Army Cyclist Corps (No.23921). They were posted to the IV Corps Cyclist Battalion at Rolsdorf, part of the Army of Occupation on the Rhine."

Albert was demobilised on 31st March 1919 to the Class Z Army Reserve. It is presumed that Albert returned to Northern Bank.

Following his demobilisation, Albert was awarded the British War Medal and the British Victory Medal. He received and acknowledged receipt of the first medal on 8th May 1922.

Medal Index Card - A B Galway

Medal Roll - A B Galway

The 'North Irish Horse in the Great War' website carries a full biography of Albert Galway.

This website records Albert as dying in 1962. It has not been verified.