D-Day Veteran Celebrates His 100th Birthday At Bideford Care Home

One of the last surviving D-Day veterans has celebrated his 100th birthday at a care home in Bideford.

John, who lives at Kenwith Castle care home based in Abbotsham, enjoyed a special afternoon tea with his family and loved ones ‘because, as a Yorkshireman, he didn’t want any fuss.’ His bedroom was filled with 100th birthday cards, including his special card from King Charles and Queen Camilla, banners, balloons and his favourite chocolate treats.

John joined the Royal Air Force on his 18th birthday and in World War Two he was part of the D-Day landings and travelled right through France and Germany as a driver.

While in Germany, he met his late wife, Betty, who was in the WRAF and they were married at the end of the war. En route to their honeymoon, John was tasked with driving Hermann Goering’s staff car to an American airbase to be flown over to the US.

John and Betty moved to Barnstaple following their honeymoon and welcomed their late daughter, Lynne. John went on to work for BT, formerly known as Post Office Communications, for 37 years, moving to several different locations before later retiring to Barnstaple. Betty sadly passed away in May 2020 just a couple of weeks before the couple’s 70th wedding anniversary.

When asked what the secret was to living to reach 100, John said that ‘he only smoked for 3 months and then he gave up.’

Catherine, Activities Assistant at Kenwith Castle, said: “John is a joy to look after at our care home and we are so pleased that we could help him to celebrate his special day. He has led an incredibly interesting life and has done some incredible things in his career, so we were only too keen to make sure that he felt like a VIP on his 100th birthday.”

This year will mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day with armed forces across the UK taking part in ceremonies to mark 80 years since the military operation.

Kenwith Castle is a Care South care home providing specialist residential, respite, and dementia care. There is a dedicated activities team onsite who organise a daily programme of events to bring residents together to socialise and build friendships. The care home features individual rooms for residents which several communal lounges overlooking a landscaped garden and lake offering peace and tranquillity.