'We need more peace', says 105-year-old WW2 veteran

As a Royal Air Force (RAF) rear gunner during World War Two, Ronnie Holdsworth was considered lucky to have survived more than three bombing raids.

Remarkably, the Bradford-born 105-year-old went on to complete more than 30 missions and now lives a peaceful life in a retirement village in California.

He is unable to travel from the United States to the UK, so his family took Remembrance Sunday to him - along with an RAF uniform for him to wear.

Ronnie said: “The guys that are left remember what happened and we don’t want it to happen again. We need more peace.”

Ronnie, who grew up in Great Horton, Bradford, was 18 when he volunteered for the RAF in 1940.

He served with 158 Squadron and flew 32 missions as a rear gunner in Halifax bombers.

The role, known as “tail-end Charlie”, was notoriously dangerous as rear gunners flew facing backwards in cramped turrets fighting off enemy aircraft.

Bombers were often targeted from underneath and behind, with many rear gunners killed during the war.

“When I first started I was nervous," Ronnie said. “Then you got used to it when you had flown several times.

“But depending on the target you went to, it could get pretty rough.”

He always carried a bag of lucky charms, with a pilot telling him to leave the plane to fetch them before take-off after forgetting them on one occasion.

“We used to take them on every mission," Ronnie added. “He said, 'We are not going until you get out and get those lucky charms.'

“So I climbed down and got them."

Ronnie emigrated to the United States in 1952, where he worked as milkman and a salesman and had two sons, Derek and Mike.

His wife Margaret died 28 years ago, with Ronnie now living in Bakersfield.

The home organised a special event in his honour, with his great-niece Angie Burns travelling from Yorkshire to visit him.

“I feel really proud of Ronnie and I want to world to know about him and his story and for him not to be forgotten," she said.

“His service and his duty at such a young age, his whole war story needs to be told.

“I feel very blessed and proud that we still have Ronnie here.”

Ronnie had requested to wear an original RAF uniform at the event at Bayshire Riverwalk Senior Living, as he had given his back to the RAF when he was demobbed.

RAF air commodore Andrew Chisholm flew in from Washington to attend and presented Holdsworth with memories from his life in West Yorkshire.

Vocal trio The Harmony Dolls provided music during the event at the retirement village, with Ronnie getting up to have a dance.

He said: “It was marvellous. It was very very nice, I thank you all.”

Angie said: “We are all so proud as a family and we felt we could make this trip this year and make it special.

“We have been overwhelmed by the gratitude and the support from people back home, including the RAF, British Airways and the Ministry of Defence, but mostly the Americans here.

“The American people have been outstanding. They do so much for their veterans and they are so respectful.”

It is thought that Ronnie is one of the last remaining Bomber Command airmen still alive.

Discussing conflict, he said: “We have had enough of that kind of stuff, we don’t need it anymore, we need more peace and that’s about it.

“We need to get together and be friendly.”