A WORLD War Two veteran has celebrated his milestone 100th birthday.

William Everitt celebrated his big day with friends and carers at Ashley House Bupa Care Home in Cirencester.

William, who celebrated his big day on December 6, enjoyed a room filled with decorations, presents and a homemade birthday cake, while he proudly opened his birthday letter from the Her Majesty, The Queen.

Making his day extra special, carers at Ashley House arranged a surprise Zoom call with eight of William’s family, meaning they could all sing Happy Birthday to him and William could open his gifts with them virtually.

William was born in Malta in 1920, where his father was chief petty office in the Royal Navy.

After growing up in Portsmouth, William left school at the age of 16 to follow in his father’s footsteps and joined the Civil Service in Priddy’s Hard in Gosport as a Third Grade Clarke.

It was William’s responsibility to oversee the distribution of ammunition to Naval ships and he played a crucial role in World War Two, ensuring the boats departing for the Normandy landing were adequately equipped.

William married his dear wife, Joan Margaret Raw, on July 8, 1944, and they have one son together, Richard William Everitt, born in April 1949.

In 2017 William had a book he’d written published called “An Unusual Civil Servant” which is all about his life and service in the Navy.

Commenting on his birthday celebrations, William said: “I had a wonderful day.

"I feel very loved and lucky to have such lovely people around me and would like to thank the brilliant team here at Ashley House for making such a fuss of me.

"It meant so much to be able to see all my family on Zoom so we could all celebrate together.”

Home Manager at Ashely House Bupa Care Home, Linda Watts, added: “We had a lovely day celebrating William’s 100th birthday.

"It was great to see our staff and residents come together for this momentous milestone.

"William is a remarkable man and an inspiration to us all, so we’re thrilled to have been a part of his special day.”