Sussex war veteran marks 100th birthday with military charity fundraiser

Henfield resident Jack Burton has been supported by the charity Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-servicemen and women, since he lost his sight.

Jack celebrates reaching his centenary year tomorrow (January 5) and will be joined by family and friends for an afternoon tea party. Four generations of Jack’s family will be among the guests. He has 13 grandchildren and two great grandchildren, with a third due on his birthday.

Jack joined the RAF in 1942 and trained as a navigator in Canada and as a wireless operator at RAF Cranwell. He said: “It was very cold in Canada so my mother knitted me a big long scarf.”

He flew with 8 Squadron Coastal Command in Liberators and B-25s during the Second World War in Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka. When the war ended, he was stationed in Singapore and was involved with welfare units in Southeast Asia. He was discharged in 1946 as a warrant officer.

Jack remembers where he spent VE Day and his wife Ann retells his story: “Jack was in the Bahamas for VE Day. There had been a big party in the mess. Jack left early and couldn’t find his way home so slept under a bush. He was very upset as his friends walked past him and left him there.”

Jack and his family have set up a fundraiser for Jack’s birthday and have asked for donations to Blind Veterans UK in lieu of gifts. His stepson Paul said: “What do you buy for a man when he turns 100, he has hundreds of pairs of socks and as a lifelong supporter of Tottenham Hotspur has all the memorabilia available, so he doesn’t need any gifts.

“Instead, we are asking for donations to Blind Veterans UK to honour his legacy of service. This is our way of saying thank you to the charity that has supported him since 2011.”

Jack lost his eyesight due to macular degeneration and was introduced to Blind Veterans UK by a friend. His wife Ann says: “Blind Veterans UK helped Jack enormously, he was very depressed before he joined. He went on an introductory course at the charity’s wellbeing centre in Brighton and it was fantastic, it made him realise what he could do.

“He was even taken off by the team to learn how to cook with adaptations. They said they would teach him to cook roast chicken. Jack had never cooked and when they returned they told me he could roast toast!

“We’ve been on many holidays to the Brighton Centre and each one has helped; Jack would not be where he is now without the support of Blind Veterans UK. We can pick up the phone at any time and they are there for us.”

Anyone who would like to support Jack’s 100th birthday fundraiser can visit: justgiving.com/page/paul-browne

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Blind Veterans UK supports thousands of blind veterans across the country, but knows there are many thousands more who still need its support to rebuild their lives after sight loss.