A SECOND world war veteran who was at Dunkirk, D-Day and helped defend the Yorkshire coast from Nazi bombers has celebrated his 100th birthday.

Ernie Sedgwick celebrated the milestone today with friends and family at his home in Darlington.

Though his proper birthday is tomorrow, he has always celebrated a day early after a mistake by the vicar in at St Paul’s Church.

It is not the only time the centenarian has had a discrepancy over his age.

In 1937, aged 16, he managed to join the DLI Territorial Army after telling them he was a year older.

“I was a bit worried the card from the Queen was going to come last year,” he said.

Mr Sedgwick received a Legion d’honneur from the French government for his service during the Second World War.

In 1940, he was involved in the evacuation from Dunkirk and spent two nights and three days in the sand dunes before escaping the beaches in a fishing boat.

He said: “I went out there as a happy, young lad. We thought it was great, getting off to France.

“What a shock we got.”

The Northern Echo:

He was part of the 2 Battalion DLI, the same as Richard Annand, who was the first soldier of the Second World War to gain the Victoria Cross.

The battalion was disbanded when they got back to England, and Mr Sedgwick went into the Royal Artillery, joining the air defence of Great Britain. Stationed in Yorkshire, he was involved in the defence of Hull.

He later moved to the Parachute Regiment, based at Hardwick Hall, in Derbyshire, and was part of the 6th Airborne division, which was part of the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944.

After being wounded in the hand, he was shipped back to England but was involved in Operation Market Garden in the September of that year as the Allies tried to capture bridges in the Netherlands.

“After Arnhem we had to retreat across the River Rhine,” he said. “I got over the river hanging over the side of the boat.”

After he was demobbed in April 1946, he joined the army emergency reserve and was called up during the Suez crisis of 1956 to help clear the canal from the blockade.

Back home in Darlington, Mr Sedgwick worked as a journeyman at the North Road workshops before becoming a prison officer and then a welding inspector, which allowed him to travel the world, including to Australia, Nigeria, Iraq, Iran and to North Sea oil rigs.

He retired in 1984 and has two grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

The Northern Echo:

His family joined him for a party today when he also received visits from Darlington Mayor Cyndi Hughes and Captain John Wilson and Major Ian Flannery from the Teesside branch of the Parachute Regimental Association.

Cllr Hughes said: "I was delighted to celebrate Ernie’s special day with him.

"Ernie has served our country well and is a fantastic role model for a life well lived."
 

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