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Donegall Place is one of Belfast’s busiest shopping streets.

One grand establishment located here during the war was the jewellers, ‘Sharman D. Neill’.

When war broke out, Mr Neill was commissioned to make cap badges for the Young Citizen Volunteers (YCV).

Each member of the YCV had to purchase one of these distinctive badges, which depicted a shamrock and the Red Hand of Ulster topped by a crown.

The family also made the ‘Neill’s Sight’, a sniper sight for the 36th Ulster Division. This was issued to the best shots in the battalion. It differed from other sights as it was affixed to the side of a rifle - thereby allowing a soldier to focus on far away targets while also being able to use the gun’s normal sight for closer range.

Two sons from the Neill family, Dermot and Robert, joined The Royal Irish Rifles. Both were killed on the Western Front.

Location: 22 Donegall Place Belfast, BT1 5BA
Image: A Neill’s Sniper Sight