Golf, horses and custards tarts are 100-year-old war veteran's secret to long life

Veteran and former agricultural worker Keith Martin celebrated his centenary with family and friends, including brother Mick, at Wem Cricket Club.

During the war he survived 30 bombing raids with the Lancaster Bombers, and was involved in the D-Day landings. He enjoyed catching up with old faces and reminiscing about old times on his special day.

His daughter Carol Curphey said: "It went very well. Everybody loves him.

"We had John Trotman, a local man who was a pilot in the war. There were friends and relatives there including his brother Mick. He lived in Ross-on-Wye for many years, so some of his friends from there came to visit."

She added: "He joined the RAF in the early 1940s, trained up as a radio officer, then ended up in the bombing raids. The whole crew he was in survived.

"He was given the Legion D'honneur medal a few years ago. I think he's very proud of his service."

A Shropshire lad born and bred, Keith grew up in Pontesbury and Minsterley. He went to school in Pontesbury until he was nine, before going to a convent in Shrewsbury until the age of 14.

Then, straight from school, he trained as a clerk at William Howe and Sons agricultural engineers. He remained with the company when it was taken over and became F.H Burgess, and other than his five years in the RAF, it was his only job. He worked in Oswestry and Herefordshire for the company.

Keith married his wife Phyllis in 1943, a year after their met, and had daughter Carol and son Paul. Carol said: "We had an happy, ordinary family life, growing up in Oswestry. I remember going to Butlins, and we used to like going to the beach in the summer, playing cricket."

He was also a keen golfer at Oswestry Golf Club, but these days one of his favourite pastimes is a flutter on the nags. "He likes betting on the horses," said Carol. "That's one of his regular activities."

Keith has also developed a sweet tooth in his old age, and can't resist a creamy pudding or an egg custard tart. Though, given how long he's kept going, it isn't easy for Carol to convince his great-grandchildren to eat their greens.

"We went out for a meal to celebrate my grandson's 20th. We were laughing about it, how we're going to be able to convince them to eat vegetables."

You could say the father-of-two, grandfather of two and great-grandfather of three has lived such a full life he could write a book. So he has.

Bomber Command: My Wartime Service, by Keith Martin, is available for £7, and proceeds will go to the RAF Benevolent Fund. To buy a copy of Keith's book, email Carol on con.curphey@gmail.com