| The History of Coagh booklet lists Lance Corporal William T Collins as having served with the 1st North Irish Horse in the war.
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| Thomas Collins was the eldest son of Thomas and Elizabeth Collins. Thomas Collins and Elizabeth Glendenning were married on 28th August 1888 in the district of Cookstown.
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| Thomas William Collins was born on 2nd January 1892. He was second oldest of ten children, all born in Coagh.
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| The 1901 census lists Thomas William as age 9, living with the family at house 10 in Coagh, County Tyrone. His father was a farmer.
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| Known family: Thomas Collins, Elizabeth Collins, Catherine Collins (born 18th November 1889), Thomas William Collins (born 2nd January 1892), Charles Collins (born 13th June 1894), James Collins (born 27th January 1897), Mary Collins (born 30th September 1899), Rachel M Collins (born 30th March 1902), John Collins (born 16th July 1905), Margaret A Collins (born 16th July 1905), Arthur Collins (born 28th September 1908), Elizabeth Collins (born 17th May 1911).
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| Thomas Collins enlisted in the North Irish Horse between 20 August and 16 September 1910.
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| The 1911 census lists Thomas as age 18, living with the family at house 9 in Coagh, Tyrone, Thomas is already serving as a Yeoman with the army.
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| In 1914 he was section leader in E Company of the Cookstown Battalion of the Ulster Volunteer Force.
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| He was called up at the outbreak of the war.
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| Trooper Collins embarked for France with A Squadron on 17 August 1914, seeing action on the retreat from Mons and advance to the Aisne.
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| Early in the war, Trooper Collins spent some time as bodyguard to General French.
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| Back left is Private Jim Marks. Back right is Private Thomas W Collins. Seated is Private Hiram Irwin. All three served with the North Irish Horse. All three survived the war. Photo courtesy of Dessie Gordon.
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| He also contracted scarlet fever in 1915. He was some time in hospital both in France and England. On his recovery he was granted a fortnight leave home.
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| From the Mid Ulster Mail dated 26th June 1915: Coagh
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| Trooper T W Collins, of the North Irish Horse, has just paid a visit to his parents’ residence, Lower Coagh. He was called up at the outbreak of the war, and since then he has been mostly in France, serving some time as bodyguard to General French. He also took part in the retreat from Mons, and until a short time ago, when he contracted scarlet fever, Trooper Collins was doing one man’s part to help drive the German invaders back across the Rhine. He was some time in hospital both in France and England and on his recovery he was granted a fortnight leave home. He is feeling quite fit now and speaks well of the treatment he received in the different hospitals. He left home again on Thursday.
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| Trooper Collins spent Christmas 1918 at home on furlough with his family.
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| From the Mid Ulster Mail dated 6th January 1918: Coagh
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| Privates Thomas Creighton, Joseph Curry, James Mitchell, of the Inniskillings, and Trooper Matthew Hagan and Thomas Collins, North Irish Horse, spent Christmas with their friends at Coagh.
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| Trooper Collins latterly served with the Corps of Hussars, with the Service No 71033
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| On 2 March 1919 he was transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve.
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| Trooper Collins remained with the North Irish Horse throughout the war.
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