World War Two Lancaster pilot receives medal on 100th birthday

A World War Two pilot from East Sussex has received a medal for his service on his 100th birthday.

Roy Oldcorn, from Bexhill, joined the RAF at 18 years old and served as a Lancaster pilot during the war.

On Thursday, his 100th birthday, he received a Thank You Liberator's Medal from the Dutch Embassy in London.

The medal was for his work during Operation Manna, in which he flew to the Netherlands in 1944 to drop food to starving Dutch people.

"It's fabulous. I'm overwhelmed," Mr Oldcorn said.

The Dutch defence attaché Captain Gerrit Nijenhuis presented Mr Oldcorn with the award.

Captain Nijenhuis said: "Without this operation, these big airdrops, many more people would have lost their lives.

"Not only did it prevent starvation, it gave the people of the Netherlands hope again. That might be even more important."

Mr Oldcorn was born on 22 February 1924 and joined the RAF in 1942.

He was a Lancaster pilot and flew aid to Holland following it's liberation in 1944, and repatriated British troops from Italy at the end of World Ward Two.

After leaving the RAF in 1946, Mr Oldcorn worked as a chemist in Northern Ireland but continued to fly for pleasure until he was 86.

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