SDLP Lord Mayor of Belfast Martin Morgan last night (Friday) revealed personal reasons for attending the city's Remembrance Day ceremony next weekend.
As lord mayor Mr Morgan will lead the tributes to those who died in the two world wars at the city cenotaph on November 8.
Last night the SDLP man spoke publicly for the first time of his family connections to the First and Second World War.
"My grandfather William Mullan fought in World War I in the Royal Irish Rifles regiment and volunteered to go out on to the battlefield to bury the dead," the lord mayor said.
"He believed that his comrades deserved proper a Christian burial no matter where they died.
"I think it was a very brave thing to do when you think of the traumatic scenes he would have witnessed.
"He survived World War I and later joined the Irish army after the War of Independence.
"My great uncle Edward Morgan was a merchant seaman and was killed in the Pacific Ocean by the Japanese in 1944."
The Belfast mayor said that while next Sunday's ceremony would not be the first time he had attended the event, it was important to show that as a nationalist mayor he was prepared to represent all sections of the community.
"My attendance at the Remembrance Day service is not just about civic leadership, it is about showing that the first citizen of Belfast is prepared to truly represent everyone," Mr Morgan said.
"I have my own politics, but I am the lord mayor of this city.
"There are 300,000 people in this city with Catholics, Protestants and 14 different ethnic traditions here, so it's not about division, it's about showing leadership.
"We shouldn't shy away from the fact that hundreds of Catholics and Protestants from all over this island fought and died together in the two world wars for reasons other than politics.
"Some found it was the only way to feed their families, others wanted to fight against fascism and for small nations.
"Other Irish men and women died serving with the United Nations.
"We shouldn't shy away from the sacrifices which they all made," the lord mayor added.
