Yorkshire WW2 vet with no relatives left set to turn 105 with no birthday cards
Ernest Horsfall is 104 years old and fought the Nazis during the Second World War
A charity is calling for a World War Two veteran who has no surviving relatives, to be sent as many birthday cards as possible when he turns 105.
Ernest Horsfall has seen 27 Prime Ministers and five monarchs in his lifetime and served in the Armed Forces during WW2. He worked in both London and North Africa, where he maintained tanks for the Allies.
Now, the Royal British Legion has asked for the veteran to receive lots of birthday cards next month.
The ex-staff sergeant served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) from 1940 to 1946, before settling in Lancashire where he worked for Vauxhall Motors. Remarkably, Ernest went on to take flying lessons at 43 and was a private pilot until the age of 93 when couldn’t get insured.
He maintained aircraft until he was 101.
He has no surviving family, but does have a 63-year-old girlfriend in Iceland who he speaks to online several times a week and the pair have spent 13 years together.
Ernest still has memories of serving with the Army Ordnance Corps in London in 1940. He said: "There would be swarms of Nazi bombers flying overhead all night and I knew many people that were injured or worse.
"On one occasion, our guard room was hit and six of my pals were killed, I was just lucky it wasn’t my duty that night."
He was born in Bradford, here in Yorkshire, in 1918. He was married for 57 years and had a son and a sister. Both have now passed away.
Ernest will celebrate his birthday on April 21, with the Royal British Legion asking the public to send cards to the old people's home in Preston where he is a resident. The charity’s Branch secretary Christine Parry said: "We are working hard to make sure Ernest’s 105th birthday is a very special occasion.
"He is part of a dwindling band of brothers, but our World War Two generation should never be forgotten.
"I am hoping that people across Lancashire, and perhaps throughout the country, will take time to send a card to show Ernest how much we appreciate everything he did, in order for us to enjoy the freedoms that we do today."
In November 2019, Ernest received an emotional VIP send-off from Preston Railway Station on his way to take part in the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance in London. He was one of only 44 WW2 veterans to take to the stage during the Festival at the Royal Albert Hall.
His best friend, Terry Cook, said: "We are delighted that the RBL has decided to recognise Ernest’s wonderful career and remarkable longevity.
"We are planning a very special surprise party for him next month, he is a very modest man but he will be overwhelmed at this level of recognition."
Anyone wishing to send a card can write to Ernest Horsfall at Brooklands, 6 Black Bull Lane, Preston PR2 3PU.