THE Belfast home of a man who once led a global peacekeeping organisation has been officially honoured.
He may not be a well-known name, but Carrickfergus-born Sean Lester once held a place at the head of the world’s foremost international body, the League of Nations.
He was the last-ever secretary-general of the organisation, which was the forerunner to the United Nations.
Founded in 1919, it was wound down after the Second World War as the UN took over its old role.
The organisation was designed to help maintain the precarious peace between nations in the wake of the horrors of World War One.
He grew up on the Lower Ormeau Road, south Belfast, where his old home has now been granted a blue plaque.
Educated at Methodist College, he also worked as a journalist on the North Down Herald.
Before being appointed to head the League, Mr Lester had served as its High Commissioner in Gdansk, Poland, where he became something of a hate figure for Nazis for resisting Hitler’s encroachments in eastern Europe.
This was recognised in 2010 by the Mayor of Gdansk, who named one of the assembly rooms in his own City Hall after him.
Witold Sobkow, ambassador of the Republic of Poland, described him as “a remarkable figure”, adding: “Now, it is Belfast’s turn to pay homage to Sean Lester’s courage and his uncompromising advocacy in support of individual rights, even in the most inauspicious circumstances.”
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