D-Day pilot reveals secret to long life after celebrating 102nd birthday
Harry Gamper turned 102 on July 20, eight decades after serving in the RAF during World War II
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A D-Day pilot who celebrated his 102nd birthday attributes his long life to a love of fine wine.
Harry Gamper, who turned 102 on July 20, missed his 100th birthday party due to lockdown, but made sure he had double the fun this year.
War hero Harry, who served as an RAF pilot in World War II, won medals for his service in France and Germany including a Battle of Atlantic medal.
During his time in the RAF, Harry completed over 1000 hours of flying time, taking the reins of Warwicks, Wellingtons and Catalina flying boats, and left the air force in 1946.
Father-of-two Harry had an Italian-themed birthday party, in memory of his late wife, Annalisa, who he enjoyed sun-soaked holidays in Italy with.
Harry said: “Life is beautiful, and I’ve always lived it to the full.
“I love art, music, good food and the finest wine.
“All of these things, and the people around you are what matter most in life.
“I looked forward to my Italian feast and maybe a sing-a-long to some traditional Italian music.”
Harry was born in Surrey on July 20 1920.
After leaving the air force, he retrained in advertising holding positions within Unilever, The Morgan Group and disability charity SCOPE, and loved working in Nigeria, Ghana, and Sierra Leone.
He retired with his wife to Dorset in 1983.
Harry moved to a cottage in the village of Straiton, Ayrshire in the late 2000s, where he took up gardening and enjoyed the proximity to the coast.
He now lives in Malin Court, Girvan, Ayrshire. His son David flew in for the party on Wednesday from Montreal, Canada.
Harry said of his D-Day memories: “It was incredible, I’ll never forget it.
“For a whole week before D-Day, nobody was allowed off the aerodrome. So, something big was going to happen.
“The Channel was extraordinary – I think you could have almost walked across the Channel because every boat was going across it.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments