Royal Marines veteran Fred Ames celebrates 100th birthday

A former Royal Marines Commando who fought in Italy during World War Two has celebrated his 100th birthday.

Fred Ames, who lives in Exeter, was surrounded on three sides by German forces when the Allies invaded Italy in January 1944.

As a beach Commando, he landed ahead of the main force, later seeing action in France.

Mr Ames said of his service: "It was no different to anyone else; nothing too exciting."

His son Richard said his father had three campaign medals for his service.

Joining the Royal Marines aged 18 in 1942, Mr Ames was also in Naples Bay to see Vesuvius last erupt in March 1944.

"We moved on to mainland Italy where I fired my first shots in anger, or more likely fear, in the Battle of Anzio," he said.

"At first there was little opposition from the Germans but they soon brought in the Panzers [German tank division]... and other crack troops which made life more difficult.

"It only took us two or three minutes to dig trenches when the mortars were falling all around."

In the battle, 7,000 Allied troops were killed, with 36,000 wounded or missing, and 5,000 Germans were killed with 30,500 wounded and 4,500 captured.

He then became a military policeman based at Yettington on Woodbury Common, Devon, describing it as "forced labour", before demobilisation and becoming a bus conductor/driver and hospital porter.

A father of two, grandfather of four and great-grandfather of three, he met his late wife Marion in a Forces club canteen in Exeter and they wed in 1947 - and were married for 73 years before she died.

Mr Ames, who now lives in a care home, suffered a broken hip in a fall about a year ago but was operated on in hospital the next day.

"If you want a new hip, fall over," he joked.

"I still have a brain, can joke and you can replace knees and hips. But I'm feeling well. I'm fine and in no pain. I'm a survivor."

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