‘I’ve been waiting for this’: 100-year-old Normandy veteran opens birthday card from King Charles III and Queen Consort

Pride of place at the party for Bernard Bools was a special birthday card sent to him by King Charles III and his wife, the Queen Consort.

As the postman knocked on the door of his sheltered accommodation in Broomhall, Sheffield, Bernard opened the door with a big smile and said ‘I’ve been waiting for this’, as he received one of the first birthday cards signed by the new Monarch.

When World War II began, Bernard, then aged just 21, volunteered for service with the 185 Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery and saw active service in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany with the 49th West Riding Infantry Division, nicknamed ‘the Polar Bears’.

Bernard arrived in Normandy in August 1944 and fought his way into Holland with his division, working as part of a forward observation team spotting for the artillery.

“Anybody who says they weren’t scared is lying, it was terrifying,” said Bernard. “I vividly remember, the hedgerows, the fields and the dead cattle, thousands of them rotting alongside hundreds and hundreds of men who’d been killed during the three months of fierce battle.”

“We made a name for ourselves in Holland, smiles Bernard, because we liberated almost all the big towns,” he said.

Bernard was born in Catcliffe, Rotherham, on November 15, 1922, and began training as a metallurgist at Sheffield University after leaving Woodhouse Grammar School in 1937.

“I kept in touch with about 20 of my army mates but they’ve all slowly but surely kicked the bucket,” he said. Before adding: “It’s absolutely marvellous to have all my family and friends here to help me celebrate and the birthday card from the King is wonderful.”

When asked for the secret to reaching his centenary, he explained: “I’ve always kept fit, which is how I’ve made it to a hundred, I was an athletic man, a runner and keen cyclist.”

Bernard’s card from King Charles reads: “My wife and I are so pleased to know that you are celebrating your hundredth birthday on 15th November 2022. This brings our warmest congratulations and heartfelt good wishes on such a special occasion”

He is also a recipient of the Legion of Honour from the French Government – the highest French order of merit for his role in the liberation of France from the Nazi’s.

“He is an utter gentleman”, says Amanda White, the Warden of Sunny Bank sheltered accommodation where Bernard has his ground floor flat and where a surprise birthday party was thrown in his honour.

“Last year. Bernard’s mobility scooter was stolen from outside his door and Star Readers donated funds for a new one and a secure box to lock it up in

“He is the last of a dying breed and I don’t think I’ll ever meet anyone like him again.”

The British Monarch sends out cards for 100th birthdays, 105th birthdays and each year thereafter.