Skip to content

WW2 sailor defies the odds to reach 100th birthday

Morrell Murphy was on board the HMS Capel when it was hit by a torpedo in 1944.

The Royal Navy believed he had been killed in the attack, until he turned up alive and well on his parents' doorstep a short time later.

Read more here.

7 February 2023

Explore More

Funeral of Ivor Gardner

Wiltshire D-Day veteran dies aged 104

Big Ben strikes 11 on the first Remembrance Sunday in 1946

Watch: The first official Remembrance Sunday in 1946

Screengrab showing plumes of black smoke coming out of a building at nighttime

Thick smoke as fire breaks out at UK nuclear sub shipyard

Paratroopers leap off plane

Watch: Hundreds of paratroopers leap to mark daring WW2 offensive

A public air raid shelter from World War Two. There are benches running the lenght of it and a stirrup pump can be seen in the foreground on one of them. Light is coming through a rectangular door of light is at the end.

Restored WW2 bunker reopens for Heritage Open Days

Walter sits in a black jacket and white shirt. He wears a stripy tie and has medals on the jacket.

Walter Wilson: 'I painted crosses for the dead'

Hector sits looking off camera. He wears a black jumper over the top of a checked shirt.

Hector McDonald: 'You didn't realise the danger you were in'

BBC reporter Faye Kidd standing with an umbrella in a rock-filled crater

Watch: Aftermath of WW2 bomb explosion

Northern Ireland

a keep out sign on a fence

'Chaotic' few days after WW2 bomb discovered

Northern Ireland

Archive image: former London ambulanceman Mark Bailey stands outside ‘Wendy’

World War Two ambulance preserved for years to come

Centenaria Hilda Leggett sitting in an amrchair in front of a pink birthday cake in the shape of the numbers 110

'Strong-willed' woman celebrates 110th birthday

Two skydivers prepare to jump from a plane above countryside on a sunny day

Skydivers take on Armed Forces Championships

Veteran Harold Terens and his wife Jeanne

'Love isn't just for young people': D-Day veteran, 100, weds bride, 96

Split screen with Joe Biden and Ronald Reagan

What two US presidents said at D-Day, 40 years apart

President Zelensky kneels to speak to a veteran in a wheelchair

Zelensky and D-Day veteran call each other 'hero'

Veteran Ed Berthold

Veteran reads D-Day letter he sent home in 1944

Robert "Al" Persichitti

'I'm excited to be going' said US veteran before D-Day trip

Reg Pye meets Princess Anne

D-Day veteran, 100, revisits Normandy 80 years on

HMS Belfast

On board HMS Belfast for D-Day anniversary

World War Two veteran Richard Aldred

Richard Aldred: ‘I buried two of my mates’

Emma, with long brown hair and wearing a purple hoody, looks to the side of the camera

How schools can help bereaved pupils with grief

Emma, who lost her brother, says it can be "overwhelming" to deal with grief alongside school work.

Northern Ireland

Tom Hadden sits on a grey sofa. He is wearing a stripey top.

'Rural road crash changed my life'

Tom Hadden was driving a bin lorry down a country road when another truck collided with his vehicle.

Northern Ireland

A woman with straight blonde hair looks to the side of the camera. She is wearing a blue t-shirt and necklace.

Parents of SEN young people call for support

Currently pupils with special educational needs do not receive automatic support to continue in education when they leave school.

Northern Ireland

Memorial stone in Ballyatrick forest to Inga Maria Hauser. Bouquets of flowers have been placed around the stone

Murdered backpacker's family hopeful over inquest

Eighteen-year-old Inga Maria Hauser's body was found in Ballypatrick forest in County Antrim in 1988.

Northern Ireland

A hole in a dark gravel road up close with a road continuing in the background surrounded by fields

'The edges have eroded away'

Potholes and deteriorating rural roads are affecting journeys, said a transport provider.

Northern Ireland

Sebastian is being kissed on the cheek by his mother Amanda. He has short blonde hair and is wearing a blue jacket. Amanda is wearing a black and white headscarf and gold feathered earrings.

'He has nowhere to go and he's still there'

Sebastian's mother said he had limited access to the outside world after spending 10 months in hospital.

Northern Ireland

Noleen Mullan, the mother of Katie Simpson, speaking at a press conference. She is wearing an olive coat over a white top.

Katie Simpson family 'feeling empty' after report

Katie Simpson's mother says those responsible for police failings "are nowhere to be seen".

Northern Ireland

Debbie McCrudden

'I'm glad I didn't let the fear stop me'

Debbie McCrudden was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2014 and was worried about having children.

Northern Ireland

A man with black glasses and a yellow jumper looks at the camera. He has black hair

'We caught my cancer early - that was key'

Two men are raising awareness of the signs of testicular and prostate cancer.

Northern Ireland

A man with a black beard and black hair stands in front of University of Ulster building wearing a black hoody

Belfast reacts to Trump's US election victory

BBC NI asks people in Belfast how they feel about Donald Trump's victory in the US election.

Northern Ireland

Sandra Larmour

‘Drugs was never really a topic of conversation’

Sandra Larmour's daughter Jeni died hours after arriving at Newcastle University to begin her degree.

Northern Ireland

Gillian Kearney speaking at a police press conference. There is a green PSNI banner behind her and four microphones in front. She is in uniform and has blonde hair, which is tied back.

Increased police presence in Derry after attacks

Speaking at a press conference, Ch Supt Kearney says the extra policing will continue over the coming days.

Northern Ireland

Indiana Land sign, with snakes and birds

A trip down memory lane with BBC archives

More than 9,000 new video clips from the 1990s have been added to the BBC Northern Ireland Rewind website.

Northern Ireland

Cahir O'Hagan in football top in stadium

'Medication wasn't able to save my brother'

Cahir O'Hagan was 25 when he died from cystic fibrosis while waiting for a lung transplant.

Northern Ireland

Lara Storey sitting in front of a window

'I never had anyone sit down and take me seriously'

Former Tesco employee Lara Storey wants other women to know they don’t have to accept unwanted behaviour.

Northern Ireland

Melissa Hamilton - a woman with long, blonde hair which is tied back in a ponytail is smiling as she looks slightly off camera.

'To perform ballet back home is a dream come true'

Melissa Hamilton is performing three ballet shows in Belfast's Grand Opera House this weekend.

Northern Ireland

Kwame Daniels in front of the Telegraph building in Belfast. He is wearing thick-rimmed glasses, a green jacket, a red shirt and a ruck sack.

'I'm home': Anti-slavery show explores Belfast diversity

A unique live show commemorating Belfast's opposition to the slave trade has opened in the city centre.

Northern Ireland

Deirdre Shakespeare wearing a white blouse and gold necklace. She has wavy blonde hair and is outside. There are trees and fields behind her.

Mother 'vindicated' by report into autistic son's treatment

Deirdre Shakespeare's son, Harry, was restrained in a chair at his special school without her knowledge.

Northern Ireland

Christine McCleery - she has long blonde hair and a black top on.

'I want to prevent this happening again' - Mum of stillborn baby

Services for pregnant women need to be overhauled in Northern Ireland, a review finds.

Northern Ireland

Woody the dog - he wears a harness and is a red labrador. He has beautiful brown eyes

'One ferret killed 27 puffins' - the dog keeping seabirds safe

Ferrets and rats pose a grave risk to puffins and other seabirds who breed on Rathlin Island every year.

Northern Ireland