William (Billy) Ballantine

"My name is Margaret Moore. My grandmother was Ellen Ballantine (ne) Moore. She married William Ballantine on January 24, 1916 in St Columb's Cathedral. Six months later on July 1, 1916, Billy was killed at the Somme. There was incredible slaughter that day and they never found his body.

"William's name is recorded on the Thiepval Memorial and also on the War Memorial in the Diamond. His name appears on two church memorials also - in st Columb's Cathedral and in First Derry Presbyterian Church. My grandmother belonged to the Church of Ireland and attended Derry Cathedral. William had a strong association with both churches.

"I have a locket with my granny's face pictured on one side and William's on the other side. He's in uniform. The locket must be more than ninety years old. My granny didn't wear it. It was so precious and she was too scared of losing it. She kept it upstairs.

"She didn't talk a whole lot about William Ballantine. Maybe it was too hurtful to talk about him. they had only been married six months when he was killed. His death must have hit her very, very hard. She never re-married. My granny was eighty-three when she died in 1974. She was like a second mother to me.

"My grandmother gave the locket to my father. When my father died, my mother had it. I was given the locket after she died. The only photograph I have of William is in that locket. There must have been old photographs of William Ballantine. I would say so, especially in his uniform. I'm sure there were others. I remember seeing photographs of him above the fireplace in his uniform and I didn't know who he was. I don't remember a Death Penny.

"My granny attended the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday, and I'm sure she was remembering her husband. When we were wee, they didn't take us to that. They took us to church but we weren't taken to the Cenotaph. My father and my granny went as well as my aunt Ruby and my mother. But the young ones weren't allowed to go. We wouldn't have understood anyway. You have to grow a bit to understand."