Veteran's 'scary' days at war

MAURICE, NOW 101, WAS PART OF AN OPERATIONAL BOMBER SQUADRON

- By VICTORIA SHIPP

A 101-YEAR-OLD has reflected on his time in the Second World War, after we marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the conflict in Europe.

Maurice Brook was only 21 when the war ended but had already done so much for his country, flying a number of missions over Germany.

"When the war started I was still at school," he said. "The headmaster gave us shooting lessons in case of an invasion.

"At 17 I was able to volunteer for the aircrew. The RAF gave me a bursary to Cambridge University for a wartime year on condition that I join the University Air Squadron for initial aircrew training."

His time in the RAF took him all over the world. He was initially sent to Canada so he could train as a navigator before coming back to England where he learnt to navigate in blackout conditions.