One of Britain's last remaining D-Day heroes, 100, gets surprise birthday party

One of the last remaining veterans from D-Day 80 years ago has been given a surprise party to celebrate his 100th birthday.

Mervyn Kersh, who landed on Gold Beach in 1944 aged just 19, thought he was going out for a quiet lunch when he was surprised by almost 100 people, including family and friends, at the Union Jack Club in central London.

The Royal Ordnance Corps veteran told BFBS Forces News: "I haven't had enough experience of it yet [turning 100]... I see it as one-nought-nought... newly born!"

• King Charles: Our obligation to remember D-Day veterans can never diminish 
• Guardsman brings his D-Day veteran grandfather's bagpipes back to the beaches 
• How a pint of Guinness helped a WW2 soldier dodge a deadly Nazi rocket attack

He was sung Happy Birthday and also received several messages, including one from the King himself.

Mervyn's daughter Lynne Kersh said keeping the surprise was "a bit hard".

"He's a very cerebral man, he's not demonstrative, but he is very appreciative and he's always inquisitive. So I think it's all the ifs!

"And he's very fussy! He only eats sticky toffee pudding, cornflakes, hot milk and eggs – and if he never eats anything else he'd be very happy."

Fellow centenarian Dorothea Baron also joined the celebrations for Mervyn and welcomed him to the 100 club.

The former Second World War Wren said: "It's lovely at my age to have somewhere to go, you don't have that very often when you're so ancient."

Mervyn spoke to BFBS Forces News in the build-up to the D-Day 80 commemorations earlier this year.

He shared how he refused to hide his identity and wore dog tags declaring he was Jewish, despite the risk of what might happen to him if he was captured.