Friends and veterans gather in Leeds to celebrate 105-year-old RAF veteran's landmark birthday
Friends, fellow veterans and civic leaders gathered in Leeds this week to celebrate the 105th birthday of RAF veteran Eric Gosnay.
Eric marked the milestone with a memorable party at Oulton Manor care home in Leeds, where he has lived since 2025.
To celebrate, the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Dan Cohen, along with representatives from the RAF and the Royal British Legion, paid a visit to honour Eric. Local singer Karen Clegg rounded off the event with a selection of early 20th-century songs.
“It was a wonderful day and seeing everyone come together meant a great deal to me,” Eric said. “It brought back a lot of memories of the people I served alongside, and the places we went. I’m very grateful to everyone at Oulton Manor for making it such a memorable day.”
Eric joined the RAF at the age of 18. After initial training at Squires Gate in Blackpool, he was posted overseas. His convoy set off from Greenock in Scotland, heading for Durban in South Africa, taking a wide loop across the Atlantic to avoid German U-boats, losing two escort ships to torpedoes along the way. From there, he boarded the Mauretania, a ship fast enough to outrun submarines, and sailed to Egypt.
Over the next two years, Eric was based around the Great Bitter Lake on the Suez Canal, moving between Alexandria and Benghazi as the North Africa campaign progressed.
After the war ended in 1945, he returned home on extended leave to marry, before being sent back to the Canal Zone and eventually transferred to the UK for demobilisation. Offered a promotion if he re-enlisted, Eric instead chose to return home to his wife.
Lisa Owens, Home Manager at the care home, said: “Eric means a great deal to everyone here at Oulton Manor, and we wanted to make sure his 105th birthday felt like the occasion it truly is. He has lived an incredible life and served his country in a way that so few of us can imagine, and it was important to us that the day reflected that.
“As a home with Veteran Friendly Framework status, supporting and recognising those who have served is incredibly important to us and to see Eric smiling surrounded by so many people was everything we could have hoped for.”