Another Ballycarry man was General Sir James Steele who had a long and distinguished career in the military rising to General and being knighted. He first joined as a temporary second lieutenant in the Royal Irish Rifles and served with the 7th Battalion in France from 1915-17. He saw action at Messines, Passchendaele and the Somme, and was awarded the Military Cross for bravery in 1917. He continues his career in the army on secondment to the Indian Army during the North-West Frontier campaign (1920/21) being mentioned in dispatches. In 1926 he was promoted to brevet colonel and commander of the 1st Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters and served with them in Jamaica and Palestine, he reached Colonel in 1939 and was posted to the War Office mobilization unit.

He was responsible for signing the order for the mobilization of the army in 1939. He then took command of the 132nd Infantry Brigade and served in France during 1940 where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his part in the Battle of Escaut. In 1941 he took command of the 59th Staffordshire Division and in 1942 commanded II Corp as an acting lieutenant general, later in the same year he became Deputy Chief in command for the Middle East Command. In 1943 he was appointed Director of Staff Duties at the War Office and in 1944 promoted to Major General.

Promotion to Lieutenant General came in 1946 followed in the same year by appointment to Commander in Chief and High Commissioner of Austria. In this role, he signed the treaty with Yugoslavia's Marshall Tito and received his knighthood. He was promoted to General in 1947 and Adjutant-General to the forces from 1947 to 1950 when he retired. He continued to serve as Colonel Commandant of the Royal Ulster Rifles until 1957 and was also responsible for establishing the Army Benevolent Fund. Although he lived and died in England his ashes returned to his home at Ballycarry which was always close to his heart.