I thought, if I'm going to fight in a war, I may as well do it sitting down!'

102-year-old RAF veteran's delightful memories of WWII exploits

-  Mark Reynolds

ONE of Britain's oldest surviving war-time pilots was on Cloud Nine yesterday when he was reunited with a much-loved plane.

Decorated Squadron Leader Jack Hemmings, 102, declared: "Just like old times!" when he saw a Lockheed Hudson for the first time in more than 50 years.

Jack got to see the type of aircraft he flew with 353 Squadron in India during a Remembrance Week event at the RAF Museum in Hendon, north-west London.

The pilot, who was awarded the Air Forces Cross for exemplary gallantry while flying, flew the light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft from 1942 to 1945, protecting the Bay of Bengal from Japanese invasion.

Father-of-two Jack said: "When I first joined the RAF in 1940, I thought, 'If I am going to fight in a war, I may as well do it sitting down!'