An RAF veteran who survived being shot down during the Second World War was flying high for his birthday – with a surprise tour of Concorde.

Charles Oates, who is fascinated by the aviation world, turned 90 in style with a trip to Manchester Airport’s visitor park.

Charles, from Higher Poynton, flew in the RAF as an armourer for nearly three years during the Second World War.

He stopped after his plane was shot down over France but survived despite three gunshot wounds – one of those to his head.

He was left with a damaged optic nerve which has left him blind in one eye. He was the only one out of a crew of seven to survive the crash landing on Boxing Day 1944.

Despite now needing a wheelchair, he’s still going strong at 90 and enjoyed quizzing the tour guide during the visit arranged by wife Mary and daughter Pauline Ashmore, 53, with help from her boss at an insurance firm.

Charles said: “This has been amazing for me, seeing Concorde.

“The cockpit seemed a lot smaller than the Lancaster.”

 

Charles’ love of aviation has endured despite his terrifying experience during the war.

He explained: “We were on the border of Belgium and Germany.

“We dropped the bomb and turned round and came back but we went in the wrong direction and came out at the wrong place.

“A search light picked us up and the upper gunner said ‘we’ve got a visitor’. There was a fighter on us. From then on I don’t know much about what happened.

“I was unconscious. But I stayed in the turret.”

Charles had been shot in the calf, shoulder and head. The pilot struggled back to a field near Dover – where he crash-landed.

Charles added: “The plane crossed the road, the aircraft broke of its back and shook off the turret with me still inside it and then carried on a bit further and caught fire. There were eight bodies found in the aircraft. It had just missed a house.

“I was found in a ditch the next morning more dead than alive.”

He met Mary shortly after five months in hospital – bumping into her brother in the pub and meeting her back at his house while toasting crumpets.

They have been married for 67 years.