Britian’s oldest man and surviving veteran Donald Rose was serenaded by opera singer Alfie Boe as he marked his 110th birthday on Christmas Eve.
The sprightly centenarian was so delighted with the special surprise that he declared it ‘the best day I’ve ever had’ – an expression of praise indeed given that Donald has lived an incredible 40,150 days altogether.
Donald watched on with a huge smile as the singer gave his best rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ via a video call organised by Canal Vue care home in Ilkeston, Derbyshire.
The delighted veteran – a recipient of France’s highest medal, the Legion D’Honneur – clapped Mr Boe at the end, adding it was ‘very nice’ to hear him sing.
There was more in store for Donald, including a card from Buckingham Palace and a war-themed party featuring a performance from Kate Ashby of The D-Day Darlings.
Among the guests invited to the celebration was Kate Fennelly, Mayor of Erewash, who described the veteran as ‘a national treasure’.
His son David, 76, told the BBC: ‘Dad is just amazing, he has been a great father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
‘He always worked so hard.
‘It’s amazing to think my dad is the oldest man in the country.’
His birthday comes just months after the veteran was honoured with a special Spitfire flyover in May.
The war hero watched on with delight as two of the iconic aircraft passed over his care home.
Born in 1914, the same year that Britain saw the outbreak of the First World War, Donald was a young man of 25 when he signed up to fight in the Second World War, serving on the front line with the 7th Armoured Division.
A former sniper and Desert Rat, Donald also served with the Queen’s Royal Regiment and was awarded a number of medals during his service.
This including the Legion D’Honneur – France’s highest honour and one of the most prestigious in the world.
The flypast for Donald took place amid a range of events to commemorate the Second World War and honour the armed forces.
Naomi Allsop, who works at Donald’s care home, said at the time: ‘He’s the oldest World War Two veteran in the UK – you learn about it at school, but being with him is something else.
The flypast for Donald took place amid a range of events to commemorate the Second World War and honour the armed forces.
Naomi Allsop, who works at Donald’s care home, said at the time: ‘He’s the oldest World War Two veteran in the UK – you learn about it at school, but being with him is something else.
‘The wars are part of our history and if nobody celebrates the heroes, they will fade away.
‘Donald was so excited about the flypast – it’s lovely to see the whole of the UK getting involved to appreciate the work he and the other veterans did.
‘Whenever we do any events like this, like Remembrance Day, he always says ‘I’m not that special, I just did what I had to do’.
‘He thinks the men that fell are the heroes, and he doesn’t see himself as one because he lived and they didn’t.
‘He’s so lovely, he likes to sing a lot and tells funny stories.
‘I’ve known Donald since he came to the home and we’ve been best friends ever since.
‘He says there’s no secret to living a long life – but reckons his insides have been ‘pickled’ by drinking sea water and eating dog biscuits during the war!’
Sprightly Donald has lived at the care home since 2020 and has one grandchild and three great-grandchildren.
Before arriving at Canal Vue, he had lived in Westcott, Surrey with his late wife Jeannette of 55 years, before moving to Derbyshire in 2000 when she passed away.
Surrey-born Donald was born on Christmas Eve 1914 and signed up to the British Army in 1939, aged 25.
He served in the Queen’s Royal Regiment, in Guilford, with the 7th Armoured Brigade and fought on the front-line during World War Two.
During the conflict, Donald also joined the Eighth Army as a ‘Desert Rat’ under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery in Africa and as part of the liberation of Italy and France.
He also trained to become a sniper and served in North Africa, Italy, France, Normandy, Belgium, Holland and Germany.
After the war ended, Donald was awarded the Legion D’Honneur – France’s highest honour medal – for his services.
The Legion d’honneur was founded in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, then First Consul of France.
The institution was part of a wider ambition to reform the state, offering new incentives and rewards for accomplished individuals within French culture.
This was also reflected in prizes issued to leading figures in the sciences, and the civil dignity of the Marshals of the Empire for leading generals from 1804.
The Legion d’honneur is made up of three ranks – chevalier, officier, commandeur – and two high offices – grand officier and grand croix.
It is today a Presidential award that can be given to non-French citizens ‘in recognition of actions benefitting the country of France or, more broadly, achievements which uphold its ideals.’
The Desert Rats’ took part in the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942, the Allied invasion of Italy in September 1943 and the Normandy D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, before ending the war in Germany.
Their exploits during the Siege of Tobruk were immortalised in the 1953 war film The Desert Rats starring Richard Burton.
The 7th Armoured Division was formed in 1938 to protect the Suez Canal, and went on to fight in some of the war’s bloodiest battles. Nicknamed the Desert Rats, they were deployed to North Africa where, under General Montgomery, they won the battles of El Alamein to help change the course of the war.
More recently they served on the battlefields of Iraq.
The success of the Desert Rats in North Africa during the Second World War led Winston Churchill to declare: ‘Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat.’
The Desert Rats went on to fight in some of the war’s bloodiest battles: at Salerno in Italy, in Normandy and crossing the Rhine into Germany. They ended the war in the victory parade in Berlin – at the very heart of the Third Reich.
The 7th Armoured Brigade was detached from the division during early 1942 and fought the Japanese in Burma before returning to battle in Italy.