Veteran recalls WW2 as he reaches 107th birthday

A man who was present at Dunkirk and the D-Day landings has celebrated his 107th birthday.

Colin Cole from Gobowen in Shropshire also spent time as a special constable and a teacher and competed as a sprinter when he was younger.

He said he joined the RAF just before war broke out in 1939 and served as an air-sea rescue pilot.

Cole said it was dangerous work and added: "If you didn't get scared there was something wrong with you."

As he grew up in the 1920s and 1930s he said he was into music and dancing.

He remains a fan of big band music, but said: "With all the modern stuff, I'm not into it at all really."

He said his decision to join the RAF at the outbreak of the war was partly motivated by a desire to have his choice of service while a choice was still possible, or as he put it, to "get in while you can".

Cole was also following in his father's footsteps, because he had served in the Royal Flying Corps.

In his role as an air-sea rescue pilot, he said: "You were called on night and day."

He said the danger involved became "just part of the job" and for airmen like him "you have no option, you just have to get on with it".

He also admitted that despite spending a large part of the war flying over water: "I wasn't much good at swimming."

After the war he became a teacher and later specialised at helping children with special educational needs.

He also taught PE, but did not pit his pre-war sprinting skills against his pupils.

With a smile, he added: "I'm a bit pushed to sprint now."

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.