An Ayrshire Second World War veteran celebrated his 100th birthday with a surprise party and a special flyover from two former RAF planes.
Darvel man Alex Ritchie turned 100 years old on Sunday, November 27 with his daughter Ucilla and his friend Stewart Finlay from the British Legion spent weeks planning the perfect surprise party.
The brave centenarian signed up to join the RAF two weeks after his 19th birthday in 1942. He went on to join the 253 Hurricane Squadron Service. He trained in Blackpool before being moved to Cain Wilshire for trade trading as a Morse code operator.
During his time in the war, Alex intercepted enemy messages and passed them on to the code breakers. He was stationed in Algeria, North Africa, Lampadosa, Naples, the Island of Vis, Croatia, and Baghdad, Iraq.
Alex returned home and married the love of his life Margaret in 1947 and went on to have their daughter Ucilla. He is now a proud granddad of two and great-granddad of three.
Members of the British Legion, 602 Squadron, RAF Cadets, Lord Lieutenant Major David Dickson, and Provost Jim Todd along with friends and family gathered outside Alex's home to honour him.
Alex was presented with a special birthday card from HRH King Charles, a 75th Anniversary coin for the victory in Europe, the 100th coin from Royal British Legion Scotland, a bottle of Whisky, glasses, a specially commissioned stone, RAF Tie, and cake.
Pipers were even there in time to welcome Alex to his party before two former RAF planes flew over Alex's home.
Party organiser Stewart Finlay said: "Mr Ritchie is one of the last few who we owe so much to.
"Alex is a great guy and he's got loads of interesting stories to tell. One that stands out to me is while he was training Alex was awarded a seat on a test plane flight but gave his ticket to a fellow trainee who was desperate to go on the plane. The plane never returned, it crashed killing everyone on board.
"Alex lays the Wreath every year at Darvel War Memorial in memory of his fallen comrades and we were honoured to have him lay it again just two weeks before his 100th birthday.
"Alex's surprise birthday went perfectly and everyone was cheering as the planes flew overhead; even Mr Ritchie got a bit misty-eyed at that point.
"I'd like to say a massive thank you to all who attended, especially to Gerry Halferty, who owns Bodie engineering in Kilmarnock, for arranging the pipers and the flypast of the two ex-RAF planes."
Alex's daughter Ucilla added: "It was a fantastic day and I was so happy for him to see how many people showed up to celebrate with him.
"I was thrilled we were able to keep everything a secret, it was a lovely surprise for him.
"There was so much for him on the day to enjoy, but the highlight had to be the flypast. He was very surprised at the RAF presence and it was very emotional when the planes flew overhead.
"Dad's secret to long life would be to keep yourself busy, he always kept himself busy even after retirement.
"Dad never really spoke about his time in the war but my granddaughter prompted me to speak to him about his experiences to remember those stories. It was an eye-opener to learn about his time in WW2 and I shared some of those stories with Stewart to tell at his party.
"Dad's spoken about nothing else since. We can't thank everyone enough for their efforts, as a family we will always have the memory of that day with dad."
Alex said: "Nothing will ever top my 100th birthday party. It was the best present I could have been given.
"Stewart did an excellent job organising and the day ran like clockwork. I'm so grateful.
"It was an amazing day and I'd like to thank everyone for celebrating with me and to all of those involved for making my day so special."
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