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At the onset of war my Grandfather Thomas Harris (a Great War veteran) was keen to be amongst the first to sign up for King and Country. Already in his sixties he was too old for service but, like so many others, he lied about his age and managed to enlist in the Irish Guards.

On the day his call-up papers arrived a street party was held in his honour complete with flags and bunting. When the time came for him to catch the train, my Grandfather paraded proudly at the head of a procession of friends, neighbours and the local Salvation Army Band — all keen to honour their hero as he bravely marched off into the unknown.

Four days later he was back. Someone had obviously noticed his age and assigned him to guard duty at Lisburn barracks, just 20 miles from home. There he spent the rest of the war guarding the entrance to the camp - and coming home on leave every weekend!

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