Private James Reilly 29B/1860 58th Regiment

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"BELFAST ZULU WAR VETERAN DEAD The recent death in hospital of Mr., James Reilly. Shaftesbury Street. Belfast,' removes a veteran of the old " Die-hards," the famous Middlesex Regiment, who took part in the fierce Zululand campaign, under Lord Chelmsford (then General Thesiger). and had much other adrenduous foreign service. The deceased, who had left the Army on pension many years ago, had served for a period of twenty years in India, Ceylon, and South Africa. On resuming private life he took up his old trade, that of hairdressing, by which be earned for himself, wife and family a modest livelihood in his native city, and during a portion of the war period, in Barrow. As a soldier he had experienced many hair-breadth escapes, but of those he only spoke with reticence, and even then to intimate friends. Till the end he took a deep pride in his old regiment and closely followed its experiences during the Great War. Mr. Reilly was fond of recalling the fact that on one interesting occasion. while the " Die-hards " were in India, he was called upon to cut the hair of Lord Roberts (" Bobs ") when Commander of the Madras Army in 1884. The late Mr. George August'', Doran, J.P., had a great esteem for the veteran soldier, who was annually a guest at the veterans' dinner in the Exhibition Hall. The late Mr. Reilly held the Zulu War Medal, 1879, and the long service and good conduct medal. He was a member of the Church of Ireland and a man of pronounced Unionist convictions. Of literary tastes he was widely I read, especially in the climate English novelists, and was also well versed in history. Deep sympathy will be felt with his bereaved widow. daughter, and two sons, Thomas and William. The elder son. Tom, served throughout the war in the British torpedo destroyers' fleet and is still in the Royal Navy service"

Belfast Telegraph - Friday 20 October 1922