Published: Thursday, 4th September, 2008 08:30
Jock has 105 reasons to celebrate
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THE oldest surviving British veteran of the Normandy landings, Jock Wilson, is set to receive his SECOND telegram from the Queen on Sunday, when he celebrates his 105th birthday.
East Lothian’s Lord Lieutenant Garth Morrison will visit the evergreen centenarian at Hollytrees, in Belhaven Hospital, to present a signed letter from Her Majesty.
And a delegation from Dunbar Probus Club will then host a small gathering for Jock at the retirement home.
Jock moved to Hollytrees before Christmas, after 43 years of living at his daughter Joyce’s Baysview Park home.
Jock said he was “delighted” to be approaching yet another milestone and credits good fortune for his longevity.
The grandfather-of-three and great-grandfather-of-four almost met his maker prematurely when the armoured personal carrier he was travelling in around Goch, Germany, was bombed during the Second World War.
“It’s all down to luck that I have lived to this age,” said indefatigable Jock.
“I was wounded twice in the war and I still have shrapnel in my elbow which is only starting to trouble me now. Our driver died in the attack so I was lucky.”
Jock was a field gunner during the Second World War in the 79th Regiment Royal Artillery, one of the thousands of brave soldiers to land on Juno beach in 1944.
He received the British Military Medal in 1945 and was awarded the French Legion d’Honneur for bravery by Jacques Chirac at the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings in 2004.
There the birthday boy – who has met the Queen twice – politely thanked Her Majesty for the telegram he received the previous year.
Daughter Joyce said her father was “still the full shilling” and the pair even watched the Olympics together.
She said: “We watched the games in Beijing which he enjoyed. But I had to read out the times on the screen for him because his eyesight is not so good.”
Joyce has promised to celebrate the day with champagne and cake but added: “If he expects anything like his 100th he will be disappointed!”
On getting the chance to meet with Jock again, Lord Lieutenant Mr Morrison said he was “absolutely delighted” to revisit the “marvellous chap”.
He said: “I understand that he is still in very good form. I richly enjoyed his company when we met.
“I was talking to him about the First World War the last time and he would just say ‘Yes I know, I was a young lad then!’ ”
And he added: “This is the first time I have been involved in presenting a telegram for a 105 year old although I have delivered cards from the Queen to lots of 100 year olds. So this is a first for me in East Lothian.”
Last year, Dunbar RNLI enrolled the war hero as an honorary member of the Dunbar lifeboat crew.
Jock is thought to be the second oldest county resident.
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