WWII soldier celebrates his 100th birthday by skydiving…74 years after last jump out of a plane
AN old soldier celebrated his 100th birthday by skydiving 74 years after he last jumped out of a plane in World War Two.
Thrill-seeker Thomas Hodgson shouted “bloody grand” as he came down.
As a Royal Engineer, he was attached to the paratroopers for training and jumped in the 1940s.
Now the plucky widower has completed a 14,000ft tandem leap with Skydive Northwest near his home in Cleator Moor, Cumbria.
The former railway worker, who raised cash for Cancer Research UK and The Great North Air Ambulance, said: “I don’t feel 100. I feel 50.”
After his tandem jump last Sunday, the old Sapper said: “You could see every mark in the fields.
“I more than enjoyed it, words can’t describe it. The view was terrific. Blackpool Tower, Morecambe, Isle of Man, Barrow-in-Furness, you could see for miles.
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“There was a little breeze and it was just like floating on air.
“It brought back war memories but I don’t like talking about them – I’ve finished with them now.
“It’s the last thing on my bucket list. It’s that long since I have jumped out of a plane and these charities are worth supporting.”
Thomas Hodgson was with the Royal Engineers in the war[/caption]
The old Sapper did the jump with Skydive Northwest[/caption]
The ex trooper raised cash for Cancer Research UK and The Great North Air Ambulance[/caption]
Mr Hodgson boards the plane near his home in Cleator Moor, Cumbria[/caption]
The plane reaches 14,000ft altitude and the divers are ready to jump[/caption]
The centenarian skydiver jumps out of the plane with his tandem instructor[/caption]
‘The view was terrific. You could see for miles’, he said[/caption]
Mr Hodgson touches down in Cumbria after his daring leap[/caption]
The skydiving team help the OAP out of his harness[/caption]
The pensioner is helped back up on his feet by the crew[/caption]
The WWII hero looks pleased as punch to have completed the jump[/caption]
‘It’s the last thing on my bucket list’, the 100-year-old said[/caption]
A young Thomas riding a horse with the Hensingham Carnival Queen float at the 1934 Whitehaven Carnival[/caption]
Thomas worked in the railways after his military service[/caption]
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