A war hero who was awarded France's top military honour has celebrated his 100th birthday.

Colin Deverell, the youngest of three children, was born in Croydon in 1923 and moved to Tenterden with his wife Joan 57 years ago.

In 1938, Mr Deverell got his first job mending typewriters for the Oliver Typewriter company before starting an apprenticeship with Imperial Airways.

But when war broke out, this came to an end and Mr Deverell became an Airframe fitter for Rollason Aircraft Services at Croydon Aerodrome and worked on Hawker Hurricanes.

When the aerodrome was bombed in 1940, Mr Deverell says the only reason he survived was because he had been working underneath the wing of an Airspeed Oxford.

He and others helped the injured until ambulances arrived.

Mr Deverell then joined the RAF two years later and started his training as a Flight Engineer.

After completing 30 operations, he said he “felt very lucky to survive” as a third of the Lancaster bomber crews were lost during the war.

He describes witnessing the fires burning underneath them, being surrounded by flak and being shot at by fighters after being caught in searchlights.

The final operation was terrifying as they got hit underneath by a Messerschmitt 110 firing on them which caught the port inner engine and the fuselage on fire.

He had to crawl inside the aeroplane down to the tail end to put the fire out.

He managed to do this but burnt his hands badly in the process.

He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal for saving the crew and was also offered a commission in the RAF.

After the war, Mr Deverell worked for the Union Castle Shipping line and in 1955, he married his late wife Joan who had been living next door to his grandmother in Orpington.

They had two daughters, Anne and Elizabeth, and were happily married when they moved to Tenterden in 1966.

He then retired in 1988 after 50 years of employment, and has five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

At the age of 94, Mr Deverell was awarded France's top military honour reflecting his work during the Second World War.

He received a letter in 2018 informing him he had been appointed a Chevalier in the Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur.It reflects his efforts as a flight engineer at the age of 19 where he took part in 34 Lancaster operations between May and December 1943.

A surprise birthday party was organised by The Tenterden Social Hub in St Mildred's Church.

Daughter Elizabeth Deverell said: "He had a marvellous time and it was a complete surprise to him as the secret had been kept for months.

“The hub worked very hard organising and coordinating everything.

"There were speeches, nibbles and cake for all the hub clients and guests."

Girls from Benenden School Memory Lane Cafe were there to sing him Happy Birthday.

Family and friends were also there alongside Ann Beaven from the Royal British Legion, mayor of Tenterden Sue Ferguson and Flight SergeantArron Spice from the RAF.

The church bells were rung as the party took place.