As President of the Belfast Junior Chamber of Commerce Harry Porter organised the first Lord Mayor’s Show. Harry joined the 8th (Belfast) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Supplementary Reserve) in 1939 as a Gunner and went with the Regiment to France where it took part in the campaign in North West Europe in 1940. Evacuated at Dunkirk, as a sergeant, he and the Regiment participated in the air defence of London during the Battle of Britain before moving to the Far East in May 1942, where they saw service in India and during the campaign in Burma 1943-45. By the end of the war he was a Major. Among those remembered today are William McCreary from Portstewart who served with Canadian Infantry in WW1 and VC winner William Kenny from Saintfield and Donaghadee. William Bradbury, a naval surgeon from Lisburn was posted to the Royal Naval Division in WW1. In WW2 he would head the medical response to D Day at the navy’s main hospital at Haslar.
