Blind veteran, 100, ‘felt 10 feet tall’ marching past Cenotaph for first time

A blind 100-year-old veteran has said he felt “10 feet tall” as he marched past the Cenotaph in London, taking part in the annual Remembrance Sunday service for the first time.

Michael Woods, from Dunstable in Bedfordshire, marched with more than 40 other blind veterans supported by the charity Blind Veterans UK.

The Second World War veteran joined the Royal Air Force after being called up for service in 1943, training as an aircraft mechanic.

Mr Woods said he was “so proud” to have “finally” marched in Whitehall, according to a release from the charity.

“What an amazing experience, I’ve never felt anything quite like it,” the veteran said.

“The crowds cheering for us as we made our way around made me feel 10 feet tall.

“I’m so proud to have finally marched here in my 100th year. It’s such an honour.

“And it was all the sweeter knowing that my wife and family were watching me on TV.”

Mr Woods served at RAF Coningsby and Skellingthorpe, both in Lincolnshire, where he was with 61 Squadron and working primarily on Lancaster bomber planes.

“As a mechanic, I wasn’t meant to be in the planes flying but used to do so quite often,” he said.

“It was illegal of course but I remember that the crew would always say that if the mechanic is happy to fly with us then he must be pretty confident in the plane.”

Mr Woods was sent to Palestine after the war, seeing out his service there and taking opportunities to explore the surrounding area, including driving to Egypt to tour the pyramids and Valley of the Kings.

He was discharged in 1947 with the rank of Leading Aircraftman.

He lost his sight later in life because of age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma.

“My sight started to go gradually because of the glaucoma at first but I remember having just driven back from the West Country, I got pneumonia and had to go to hospital and after that my vision had got a lot worse,” he said.

“I was driving until I was 94 but couldn’t do so after that. That’s the thing I missed the most. I’d driven since I was a young man in the RAF and it felt like I’d lost my independence.”

Mr Woods started receiving support from Blind Veterans UK in 2020.

“Joining Blind Veterans UK has been ever so helpful to me,” he said.

“Every month or so, we meet up as a group in the local area and all the staff are so helpful and kind.”

The charity’s chief executive, Adrian Bell, said he was “honoured” to march alongside Mr Woods and the rest of the contingent on Sunday.