A veteran of the Second World War is turning 100 years old.
Former flying officer Ralph Wild spent his 100th birthday surrounded by friends, family and local dignitaries.
He is believed to be the last living Royal Canadian Air Force survivor of the Battle of Britain.
But Wild explained there’s no real secret to a long life.
“Never do anything to anybody that you wouldn’t have done to you.”
The centenarian said genes have a lot to do with how old you live and he was lucky to inherit the long lifespan of his mother’s side of the family.
“My father died at 60 and my sister died at 67,” said Wild. “Father had the same number of brothers and sisters as my mother but nobody got past 70.”
He got the chance to speak at the 17th Wing base in Winnipeg in early September and thoroughly enjoyed telling everyone about the differences between flying in the Second World War compared to now.
“It was amazing because they knew nothing about this,” exclaimed Wild.
“These fellows trained in the military and when I was talking to them, they were open-mouthed.”
Wild recalled desperate times near the end of the Battle of Britain.
The veteran said there was never a shortage of planes, but there was an urgent need for pilots and they had to search everywhere to fill the ranks.
Wild received messages of congratulations from the Queen, the Prime Minister, the Governor General and others.
He said the people at River Ridge Retirement Residence, where he moved several years ago, have kept him young in body and mind, helping to slow down the ageing process.