Northampton Second World War veteran who spent five years as prisoner of war turns 100

A Northampton former prisoner of war in Poland has turned 100 today.

Walter Willis, known by his middle name Patrick, was captured in Calais by the Germans in 1940 while he was in the Royal Signals.

Walter was taken to a prison camp in Poland - where he stayed for five years - and worked in a coal mine and sugar beet factory within the labour camp, which he escaped twice.

His son, Andy, said: "When the Russians were getting near the prisoner of war camps in Poland, dad was on the 'long march' to Germany, which was about 800km.

"Not long after the war had finished he got flown back to England and was put in a convalescent home for two weeks to recouperate. "

By this time, Walter still had three years left of service to complete witihin the Army - before he was demobbed in January 1947 - and in the meantime he started to work in a papermill.

The war between North and South Korea then broke out in 1950 and the now dad-of-two was called up again for three years - which meant he missed the birth of his first child, Linda

"He got through that fortunatley unscathed really and came back after he did his service and started work back at the papermill in High Wycombe, where he worked until he retired in 1981," he added.

Walter met his wife, Joyce, just after the Second World War before they were hitched in 1948.

The pair remarkably met on a train in London after Walter had finished the Victory Parade in 1946.

Walter was travelling in the direction of home towards Ashford in Kent while Joyce was travelling to Seven Oaks.

Andy said: "They were stood in the corridor of the train and believe it or not my dad said the train ran out of coal.

"My dad offered his suitcase for my mum to sit on and they hit it off while they had to wait and exchanged numbers."

During their 63 years of marriage, before Joyce passed away in 2011, the pair had two children and 10 grandchildren and enjoyed long walks with their boxer dogs.

They moved to Kingsthorpe to follow their son, Andy, in the mid 1980s as the cost of living in Northamptonshire was much cheaper.

Today, some of his nearest and dearest got together to celebrate his milestone birthday, along with a salute from Royal Signals veterans, before a special day trip to Duxford Imperial War Museum.

Yesterday, his neighbours gifted him with 150 birthday cards, raised a toast to Walter and organised for a PCSO to give him a birthday beep.

Grandson Paul Willis said Walter was overwhelmed when he saw how much effort the community had gone to for him.

He said: "He was very emotional and absolutely lost for words. Of course, it's very tricky in these times so whilst its fantastic to celebrate with him its also frustrating we can't do more. We would have loved to have done so much more for him but with the covid restrictions and him being at a very vulnerable age it's just not possible to celebrate his 100 years anywhere near as much as he deserves.

"Nevertheless, for him to see all his neighbours gather outside to toast him, to have the local PCSO turn up and then today to have some local army veterans come and visit him has absolutely made his day"