British D-Day veteran receives 16,000 birthday cards - after only asking for 100

Carol Pendrigh, a 71-year-old committee member, received a final count of the greeting cards on Monday and found they had received 16,266, some from places as far away as Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Mr Shelley, who has no known surviving family, also received cards from the King and the Prime Minister alongside messages from schools, care homes, cub groups and sea cadets.

Among all the cards were also gifts, including a homemade blanket and a plaque with his name on.

Ms Pendrigh said: "Honestly, it's phenomenal, it really is, I think he's going to be absolutely blown away.

The idea had originally been hers, as she said "let's see if we can get him 100 cards for his 100th birthday" after he asked for a tea party to celebrate.

She added that a few weeks ago, Mr Shelley had said he was not going to come to his party, however, the photo changed his mind.

She added: "Paul [Bennett], his carer, showed him that picture and I think he realised just how grateful people are, just what he is, a war hero, a D-Day Arctic Convoy veteran.

"From then on, Paul said a couple of weeks ago he went in and 'ooh only 14 days to go'. [Mr Shelley] is very, very excited."

Mr Shelley had already been a bit overwhelmed by it all, but Ms Pendrigh said: "I think when he actually sees the enormity of it, he will be even more overwhelmed."

According to Mr Bennett, Mr Shelley was on the HMS Milne on D-Day "supporting the chaps going off to land in craft ashore in Normandy, and he was a gunner keeping the skies clear of enemy aircraft".

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John Hawes, chairman of the Southend branch of the Royal Naval Association, said earlier this year that Mr Shelley had been the branch's chairman, secretary and treasurer.

However, "as he got older, he had to stop some of those jobs".

Mr Hawes added: "He's always been there, he's always got a smile, he always wants to chat.

"He really deserves something, he has been one of our founder members way back in 1980."

Mr Shelley has previously described the moment he was told the news of Germany's surrender on a ship in Hong Kong.

He said: "The war killed so many people, it's unbelievable. All around, the Americans, Russians, all the allies, the same with the Germans.

"But you were doing a job, the same as they had to do. It's either kill or be killed.

"When we heard about victory in Europe, everybody got together and we all had a good old drink up and jolly up and couldn't welcome it much better."