ONE of the last surviving soldiers from a North-East regiment who saw action in the Second World War has celebrated his 100th birthday.

Family, friends and representatives of the Durham Light Infantry visited Steve Barker at his home in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, on Friday.

He was born in Surtees Terrace, Chilton Lane, near Ferryhill, in County Durham, on October 14, 1916, as British forces were embroiled in the Battle of the Somme during the First World War.

The Northern Echo: Collect picture of Steve Barker in 1934.

A photo of Steve Barker in 1934

His father, Arthur, was a joiner at a limestone quarry, while his mother, Lizzie, raised him along with his sister, Nora, who is now 97 and lives in Bexley Heath.

Mr Barker joined the army in 1934, and by the time war broke out he had served in the Far East been promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal.

After helping to train new recruits with the newly formed 11th Battalion, he was sent to France to fight German forces using now infamous ‘blitzkrieg’ tactics in a lightening advance across Western Europe.

In April 1940, German troops found Mr Barker and other British soldiers hiding on a French farm, near Arras, and they were taken prisoner.

He remained a POW for almost five years, in Nazi-run camps in Poland and Germany, suffering brutal conditions with little food and poor sanitation.

Despite the odds, the risk of dysentery, disease and the executioner’s bullet, he survived and was liberated on May 6, 1945, returning to his native North-East.

He married his sweetheart Belle, on March 9, 1946, at Pelton Parish Church, near Chester-le-Street, and they had two children, Stephen and Jean.

Stephen, who is now 66, said his father did not talk very much about his wartime experiences.

He said: “For what he went through for five years in the war, to achieve 100 years old is fantastic.

“What he has been involved in over that period of time is brilliant. He is a different breed and generation to people today. These days people would not do what he did. They would not automatically go and fight for their country. They would question everything and his generation didn’t, they would just it. It was their duty.”

After the war, Mr Barker enjoyed a quiet life as a family man, working for a short while as a prison officer, but decided, due to his wartime experiences, it was not for him and he found long term employment as plasterer and then a security officer before retiring.

He celebrated his 100th birthday at West House Nursing Home in Chester-le-Street, where he has lived since the age of 93 following the death of Belle ten years ago. He has six grandchildren and eight great grandsons.

Mr Barker is a respected member of the Chester-le-Street branch Durham Light Infantry Association, which helped with the arrangements for his party and presented him with cake with the DLI colours, decorated with an army truck.

His daughter, Jean, who is 69, said: “He has been blessed in his life to be here today.

“He was not in great campaigns. He did not fight in the desert or in Italy, but he was doing his bit keeping the Germans looking after the prisoners. He gave his liberty to enable the fight to go on elsewhere. The regimental motto is ‘faithful’ and that is how I feel about him.”