JACK Christie left his job as a mill hand in west Belfast to become a stretcher-bearer at the Battle of the Somme.
With some first-aid training behind him, he left his home in the Shankill and enlisted with the 36th Ulster Division in 1916.
His grand-daughter Annette McGrath has told of how her grandfather, did not discuss his time at war with his family.
But more than 20 years after his death they have listened to audio recordings he made for the Somme Heritage Centre in Co Down, re-telling his experience of war.
"We're really proud that Jack has been chosen to put his story out there, I can't express how special he was to us," Ms McGrath said.
"My grandfather didn't talk about his time at war very much, he shared a few anecdotes but not many.
"It was only later in life he took part in audio recordings for the Somme Association that we've been able to listen back to them for a BBC documentary and they're fascinating.
"Some of his anecdotes we found amusing and at times we laughed at some things. But there were some more serious moments that allowed us to appreciate more deeply what he went through."
Friendships he forged on the front were maintained throughout his life, she said of her grandfather who died aged 94 in 1993.
"What always has stood out about my grandfather was how much he valued comradeship, to use the phrase 'band of brothers', that's how he always saw it," said Ms McGrath.
"That lasted right through his life to death, he was friends with a man called Walter, both carried stretchers and remained friends through life. My grandfather was actually with Walter when he died."
