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'Oldest WW2 veteran' dies aged 109

Kate Justice,in Malvernand
Andrew Dawkins,West Midlands
Ruth Pole A black-and-white photo of a young man in military uniform. He is wearing a black jacket and a cap.Ruth Pole
Frank Chester won the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery in the face of the enemy during World War Two

A World War Two veteran who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) and served in the Navy throughout the conflict has died aged 109.

Frank Chester, who was born in Ludlow, Shropshire, in April 1917, died at a nursing home in Malvern, Worcestershire, on Sunday, nine days after his birthday.

The Royal British Legion said the great grandfather could have been the oldest surviving World War Two veteran, while his family stated he was believed to be the oldest man in Worcestershire and the third oldest man in the UK.

His daughter, Ruth Pole, said he was "very, very modest" and she "never heard him lose his temper once, which is truly remarkable".

He worked in HM Customs and Excise before being called up to serve his country in World War Two.

After the war, he moved to Walsall, where he lived a large part of his adult life, and got married.

His daughter said: "The [DSC] citation basically said it was continuous bravery in the face of ongoing danger, when he could easily have just cracked.

"But he just ploughed on and on and on and on."

Ruth Pole A black-and-white photo shows a smiling couple on their wedding day. The man is on the left and has dark hair. He is wearing a pin striped suit with a carnation and a patterned tie. The woman is on the right and has curled dark hair, with flowers and a veil. She is wearing a white v-necked wedding dress.Ruth Pole
Chester always said meeting his wife Elizabeth was the best thing to happen to him

Chester had stated he had an option of being in the Army or the Navy.

"Unfortunately for him, he discovered once he went to sea that he was seasick, but with his typical stoicism he stuck at it," his daughter said.

"He was on a corvette [ship] for much of the war and it was very dangerous work that they did because they accompanied the Arctic convoys to and through Russia, where it was very dangerous."

Sanctuary Care A man wearing a blue top and a grey and white shirt is smiling at the camera. He is sitting in a brown chair in front of a plain wall.Sanctuary Care
Chester was born in Ludlow, Shropshire, in 1917 and spent a large part of his adult life in Walsall

The veteran was born the second eldest of five siblings and was told he sat in a pram with his older brother and waved a celebratory flag at the end of World War One, family friend Mary Rowswell said.

She added the former Ludlow Grammar School pupil served notably as a First Lieutenant during the war, before later working in HMRC until he retired in 1987.

Shortly after moving to Walsall in 1949, he met Elizabeth Proud and their partnership lasted more than half a century, Rowswell said.

When he was 100, he was still working at his local food bank in Malvern and living independently.

A woman wearing a blue top and large green necklace is smiling at the camera. She is standing in a sunny garden with large hills in the distance. She is wearing sunglasses and hooped earrings.
Ruth Pole said her father had a "very deep Christian faith"

Pole said her father talked about the war more when he was retired and made links with some of his ex-Navy colleagues.

"My dad was fab.

"I feel very thankful and privileged that I had such a very lovely dad, who's given me [a] huge amount of confidence and security. Yes, I do feel very proud of him."

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