Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Fine wine helps D-Day pilot Harry turn ripe old age of 102
AD-DAY pilot celebrated turning 102 – and attributes his longevity to a love of fine wine.
Harry Gamper, who used to live in Dorset, turned 102 on July 20.
He missed his 100th birthday party due to lockdown but made sure he had double the fun this year.
War hero Harry, who served as an RAF pilot in the Second World War, won medals for his service in France and Germany including a Battle of Atlantic medal.
During his time in the RAF, Harry completed over 1,000 hours of flying time, taking the reins of Warwicks, Wellingtons and Catalina flying boats. He left the air force in 1946.
Father-of-two Harry had an Italian-themed birthday party, in memory of his late wife, Annalisa, with whom he enjoyed sun-soaked holidays in Italy.
Harry said: “Life is beautiful and I’ve always lived it to the full.
“I love art, music, good food and the finest wine.
“All of these things, and the people around you are what matter most in life.
“I looked forward to my Italian feast and maybe a sing-a-long to some traditional Italian music.”
He was born in Surrey on July 20, 1920.
After leaving the air force, Harry retrained in advertising holding positions within Unilever, The Morgan Group and disability charity SCOPE, and loved working in Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone.
He retired with his wife to Dorset in 1983.
Harry moved to a cottage in the village of Straiton, Ayrshire, in the late 2000s, where he took up gardening and enjoyed the proximity to the coast.
He now lives in Malin Court, Girvan,
Life is beautiful and I’ve always lived it to the full. I love art, music, good food and the finest wine. All of these things, and the people around you are what matter most in life HARRY GAMPER
Ayrshire, and his son David flew in for the party on Wednesday from Montreal, Canada.
Harry said of his D-Day memories: “It was incredible, I’ll never forget it.
“For a whole week before D-Day, nobody was allowed off the aerodrome. So, something big was going to happen.
“The Channel was extraordinary – I think you could have almost walked across the Channel because every boat was going across it.”