Oswestry D-Day and Dunkirk war hero Colin celebrates his 107th birthday

Colin Cole, served for five years in the Royal Air Force sea rescue - starting in 1939.

He initially flew as a Lysander wireless operator but an injury meant he had to enlist in the RAF Air Sea Rescue Service.

Operating on the High-Speed Launch 126, his primary role was to recover allied and enemy aircrew who had bailed out of damaged aircraft over the sea.

Saving countless lives over the course of the war, Colin was on duty in the English Channel during the Dunkirk evacuation and the D-Day landings - despite never having learnt to swim.

After his military career, he began teaching at Oswestry Church of England School, and specialised in helping children with special educational needs to read.

And on Friday, at the social café inside the veterans' orthopaedic centre at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry, Colin marked his 107th birthday surrounded by many of his friends and family.

One of those friends, Janet, said the 107-year-old was a “marvellous” man who had lived a “long and fruitful life”.

“He belongs to a different era. He’s a total gentleman, he has time for absolutely everybody,” she said.

“He’s marvellous. I think the fact that he has lived such a long and fruitful life is because he always says live for today.”