A Herefordshire RAF veteran was “absolutely flabbergasted” when his carers arranged for him to receive his war medals, some 80 years after his service.
Harry Filby is looked after in his own home by Elgar Care and was surprised with the medals on his 99th birthday itself.
It was Elgar’s Karl and Tracey Waters that approached Mr Filby’s daughter about the medals. After many years of asking her dad to get his medals and being met with a gracious “I was only doing my duty”, daughter Mary Smith happily said yes.
Lead by Ledbury veteran Colonel Andy Taylor, “all of a sudden, the door opened and in came a mob of people,” said Mr Filby of his birthday treat.
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Mrs Smith said: “He had no idea any visitors were coming, let alone anyone bringing his medals!"
Mr Filby was absolutely lost for words, and he is so incredibly grateful to Tracey and Karl Waters for such a “once-in-a-lifetime” surprise and for their fantastic care day-to-day.
“They’ve been wonderful. I wouldn’t have anything said against them,” he said.
Mr Filby originally hails from the town of Wymondham near Norwich and was a wireless operator in the war after learning Morse code as one of the first to join the Air Cadets.
When he was drafted to Herefordshire’s Madley RAF base, he had “no idea where he was going”, but it was here that Mr Filby first met his wife, before being sent off on worldly exploits to Egypt and Shaibah Air Base in Iraq.
After the war, Mr Filby settled in Herefordshire and became an original GB Liners employee, working at the company for 50 years before retiring. He remains a very independent person to this day.
Mrs Smith says he cooks his own meals, pots up in the greenhouse and tops up bird feeders, not to mention maintaining a celebrity status in Morrisons. Assistants will always say a “hello, Harry!” whenever he pops in with Mrs Smith.
Mr Filby is very well-loved by family up and down the UK and the outstanding carers of Elgar care.
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