Britain's 'oldest World War Two veteran' who was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross has died aged 109.
Frank Chester, who also served in the Navy during the war, sadly died at a Worcestershire nursing home just nine days after his birthday.
His daughter, Ruth Pole, paid tribute to the war hero, describing him as "very modest" and added she "never heard him lose his temper once, which is truly remarkable".
The great grandfather was born in Ludlow, Shropshire, spending his time before war working for HM Customs and Excise.
He went on to train as a Royal Naval Officer, and was subsequently promoted to First Lieutenant Officer on HMS Honeysuckle.
Back in 2024, he relaid an encounter with German aircraft, when several enemy planes attacked his ship while the vessel was escorting two submarines off Norway's coast.
"I knew they were going to bomb us," he said.
"I could hear a knocking sound but quickly realised it was my knees knocking together."
Frank Chester died on Sunday
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After the war, the veteran moved to Walsall, where he married his actress fiancee, Lily.
Mr Chester recalled: "Six weeks later we decided we were going to spend the rest of our lives together – Lily was the best thing that happened to me."
His family noted that their beloved relative was the oldest man in Worcestershire - and third across the whole of the UK.
Meanwhile, the Royal British Legion said the man was the oldest surviving World War Two veteran in Britain.
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Mr Chester became the oldest WW2 veteran after Mr Waddingham died in March
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Speaking about his long life two years ago, Mr Chester said: "The Lord has been very kind to me every day, I say my prayers every morning and thank him that he has given me another day."
On March 26 this year, he became Britain's oldest known living World War II veteran after the death of 109-year-old Harry Waddingham.
Mr Waddingham became a boy sailor just aged 16 and was sent aboard a cruiser off the Spanish coast during the Spanish Civil War.
He became a gunner - but soon became shell-loader due to his impressive sprightly agility, weighing in at just 10 stone.
As the veteran advanced, he was sent to work on the Destroyer, HMS Wakeful.
On the beaches of Dunkirk, the warship was targeted in the early hours of May 29 in 1940 when a German e-boat attacked the vessel.
Only four troops aboard the ship - and 25 of the entire crew - survived the horrific attack.
He later served on Juno, where Mr Waddingham became one of 104 survivors following a bombing by the Italian air force off the Cretian coast.
The veteran went on to finally work in the Hunt-class Destroyer Mendip until the end of the war.