Properly-wishers are being urged to ship one hundredth birthday playing cards to a Second World Conflict veteran who served within the Arctic Convoys to make his shock celebration additional particular.
Dougie Shelley, who has no recognized surviving household, joined the Royal Navy at 17, served as a seaman gunner and mentioned earlier this 12 months: “There’s not many of us left.”
Picture:Mr Shelley throughout his Royal Navy days. Pic: PA
He mentioned: “The struggle killed so many individuals it’s unbelievable. Throughout, the Individuals, Russians, all of the Allies, the identical with the Germans.
“However you have been doing a job, the identical as they needed to. It’s both kill or be killed.
“When we heard about victory in Europe, everybody got together and we all had a good old drink up and jolly up, and couldn’t welcome it much better.”
Picture:Pic: PA
Mr Shelley will flip 100 on 23 September.
John Hawes, chairman of the Southend department of the Royal Naval Affiliation, is interesting for individuals to ship birthday playing cards for Mr Shelley, which can be proven to him at a celebration on the day.
Mr Hawes mentioned Mr Shelley was the department’s “last Arctic convoy veteran and also he was at D-Day”.
Mr Shelley’s carer Paul Bennett mentioned he was on the HMS Milne on D-Day “supporting the chaps going off to land in craft ashore in Normandy and he was a gunner keeping the skies clear of enemy aircraft”.
Mr Hawes mentioned the veteran had beforehand been the native department’s chairman, secretary and treasurer however “as he got older he had to stop some of those jobs”.
He mentioned: “He’s all the time been there, he’s all the time bought a smile, he all the time desires to talk.
“He actually deserves one thing, he has been one in every of our founder members method again in 1980 I feel it was when the precise membership opened.
“He’s always been with us on Remembrance Sunday in his wheelchair and somebody’s pushed him up to the cenotaph at Southend.”
Mr Hawes is hoping to collate a minimum of 100 birthday playing cards.
“I think he’s going to thoroughly enjoy it, he really will, he’ll be over the moon,” mentioned Mr Hawes.
“Dougie always likes to let everybody know he’s there and this will blow his socks off I think.”
Mr Hawes, who was a chef and baker on the plane provider HMS Eagle, is to make Mr Shelley’s birthday cake – a Victoria sandwich.
He mentioned Mr Shelley “does like his tot of rum” and that this could be supplied to visitors, with a bottle of Pusser’s Rum introduced to the veteran.
The birthday playing cards will be despatched to the Royal Naval Affiliation membership, 73-79 East Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 6LQ.
