He has welcomed the Queen, Prince Charles and stars of the stage and screen to Newport and made sure that electricity flowed to homes of the city.

As he approaches his 100th birthday, Martin Wade looks back at the career of one of Newport’s favourite sons, Newport’s toastmaster, Harry Poloway.

HE WAS born in 1915 on St Vincent Road, with the River Usk on one side and Rodney Parade on the other. From this humble terrace, he would go on to mix with royalty and stars but never lose the common touch.

Harry Poloway completed his schooling at Maindee Primary, Church Road Juniors and Belle Vue Central. He joined the electricity board after studying at Newport Technical College.

While not as glamorous as his time as a toastmaster, it was to be a part of his life every bit as important to him.

With the coming of war in 1939, Harry was an electrical engineer, a 'reserved occupation' and was excused military service. But a tragedy inspired him to join up.

In 1940, a German bomber crashed onto a house near Belle Vue Park and as the town’s senior electrical engineer he was called to assess damage to power supplies. On arriving he realised, to his horror, that the house was that of his friends, the Phillips family and that their children Malcolm and Myrtle had been killed.

He remembers this incident as the one which made him determined to 'do his bit' and join the armed forces. "Now I volunteered to fight" he said "and Newport Corporation agreed to let me go".

He joined the RAF in 1940 and worked as an electrical engineer helping to provide power to vital defences like radar stations. He saw service at the Battle of Britain station at North Weald, Cape Wrath in Scotland and overseas in Egypt and Sicily. He reached the rank of Warrant Officer before he was demobbed in 1946.

He was involved with many local charities and began running dances for them in Newport just after the war. It was this that was to lead to his great opportunity.

Having built a reputation in Newport, he was asked to officiate at a function for the Lord Mayor of Cardiff. ‘Harry the Gavel’ soon became the man of choice for making a civic event run smoothly.

Harry has been the official Toastmaster for most of the British Royal family. He was present when the Queen Mother opened a new extension for the Royal Gwent Hospital, when Princess Margaret opened the Newport Museum and when Princess Diana visited.

He also worked many times with the Queen and Prince Phillip – most recently when Newport became a city in 2002. Harry presided over the banquet at the age of 87.

Harry recalls he had to think on his feet on this occasion: “The Queen is almost always on time but on this occasion they were about 20 minutes late. The Archbishop, the dignitaries and the organisers were wondering what to do. So I tapped a table and announced: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I have just had a message from the Queen. They landed safe in the helicopter and they were coming along the A48 and as they passed through they saw Jack’s Café and wanted to stop for a cup of tea.’ It made them all laugh.”

He was asked to officiate at a royal visit to Washington, including a “big do” at the Congress Library. Seeing that he was already booked for a job, the ever-professional Harry would not agree to do it until he had spoken to the president of the Licensed Victuallers Association, with whom he was booked. “I rang the president and told him I had the chance of a lifetime to go to America with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

“He came back five minutes later and said they would let me go. I was away for nearly a week.”

The visit had many highlights, including staying at the Watergate Hotel and meeting stars like Sir Richard Attenborough.

This was one of many encounters Harry would have with famous names as he went on to host ceremonies for Nelson Mandela, the Aga Khan, and The Dalai Lama. Stars of the stage and screen like Anthony Hopkins, Roger Moore and Shirley Bassey all benefitted from Harry’s long experience as an MC.

Harry also acted as the Master of Ceremonies at weddings across South Wales, a job he said was “just as important” to him. As Harry said: “I am a Newport boy, and local people are very important to me”.

In recognition of the work he has done for Newport, South Wales and for charities, Harry has been honoured many times, becoming an MBE, a Knight of the Order of St John and being awarded the BEM.

In July this year, as part of the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, he was the RAF's guest of honour at the Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells and he took the salute as two Spitfires flew overhead.

Harry said that although he has officiated at events with royalty and stars, the flypast was “the greatest honour I’d ever had,” and added at the time: “I’m very grateful to the RAF who have arranged for this to happen.”

As Harry walked back to the grandstand he was surrounded by people wanting their picture taken with him and wanting to know more about the war veteran with a chest full of medals.

Harry explained how important events like this are: "It reminds people of the sacrifice people made during the Battle of Britain and through the war. Some of the pilots flying them lasted a day. It's also a reminder that I did my bit and I'm glad I did my bit."

"We should keep marking these anniversaries - keep remembering."

And one who will always be remembered by Harry is his beloved wife Vicki, who he sadly lost in 2008 aged 92. At the time he said he was missing her very much. “We had never been apart for the 68 years we were married,” he said.

They met while he was in Blackpool serving with the RAF during the Second World War. "I took her out to my first dance in the Tower Ballroom" he recalled after she died. He said her passions were her family and painting, which she took up in later life and that she was "proud to know I was doing my bit for the city and my country in keeping protocol up."

She left behind Harry, two children, Linda and Michael, three grandchildren and one great grandson.

And so we salute a true Newportonian who has seen the place change from dockside town to modern city, through war and peace and has been its red-coated ambassador through all these times. What drove him to work in affairs of complex etiquette and VIPs is simple he says: “I just love meeting people and making people happy. As long as they were happy I was happy.”