A D-Day veteran who defended landing troops from Nazi warplanes has received over 200 cards from well-wishers on his 100th birthday.
John Dennett, who now lives near Liverpool in England, was surprised by the number of 217 cards and letters sent to him from across the county to mark his special day.
The widower celebrated with friends and family at a private party with war music, food and entertainment.
“It’s a strange feeling. Only now, when I’m 100, do I realise how old I am. I just have to take it easy now,” he joked.
“I just hope I reach 200!”
John was only 17 when he enlisted for military service at the beginning of the war, against his mother’s wishes. He was an apprentice bricklayer, but after concealing his age, he managed to join the Royal Navy in 1941 and train aboard the Queen Elizabeth in the United States.
Three years later, on June 6, 1944, he served as an anti-aircraft gunner aboard one of the 7,000 ships that brought soldiers to the beaches of Normandy, turning the tide of World War II against the Nazis.
John also took part in the other major Allied landings during World War II, both in North Africa and in Italy.
This summer he returned to France to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, where he met the King and paid his respects to the fallen.
“It was extraordinary, the trip of a lifetime.
“I also met the king and queen again. We’re on first name terms now!
“I enjoyed my time there so much, the memories will stay with me for the rest of my life. It was very moving.”
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“I had to say a few words in Bayeux. I said the sentence: ‘For your tomorrow we have given our today.'”
“There was a veteran who was 103 years old and acted much younger. That really gave me hope.”
After the war, John founded the Ashville Football Club in 1949 to provide local children with an opportunity to play, and he remains its president to this day.
And on his building there is a huge mural with a portrait of John with his chest full of medals (Picture above).
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He said the club helped him get through so much in his life, including the death of his wife in 1994.
Since becoming a widower, he has been a member of the Royal British Legion for the past 30 years and has undertaken several commemorative tours selling red poppies for the benefit of his fellow veterans.
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