Samuel McKnight
(*Probable Identification)
Samuel was born in 1894, one of at least 17 children born to Samuel McKnight and Frances Spence, in North Belfast.
He had emigrated to Australia, and lived at Miller's Point, Sydney. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Victoria Barracks, New South Wales in 1917.
Samuel was previously employed at Harland and Wolff Shipyard in Belfast, and he was employed as a rigger in Sydney prior to his enlistment. He was aged 22 years, and gives his next of kin as his father Samuel McKnight, back home in Rowan Street, Belfast.
He was sent to Eygpt in May 1917, entering the training camp for the 1st Light Horse Regiment in Moascar, Eygpt in June.
He appears to have been constantly ill throughout his time in Eygpt, seeing the doctor on numerous occasions for fever and diarrhea. He spent many days in hospital with infected lymph nodes, sceptic sores and inflamed tissues. He was treated for Malaria in August of 1918, but his condition seems to have worsened, as on 25 November, he was admitted to hospital, where the malaria kept him for a few months.
He returned to Australia in April of 1919 and was discharged in July.
Samuel was one of five brothers who were serving during the war. The only one we have identified for certain is Henry McKnight.
*Samuel appears to be the only Castleton man who served in the Australian Imperial Force, and there is only one photograph of an Australian serviceman. For this reason we have made an assumption that this image is of Samuel McKnight.