September 29, 2020 1.24 pm This story is over 42 months old

Dunkirk veteran celebrates 100th birthday at Lincoln care home

He loved his birthday card from the Queen
Ronald Short celebrated his 100th birthday on September 24, 2020.

A Dunkirk veteran who survived being shot at celebrated his 100th birthday at a Lincoln care home this week with a golfing themed birthday cake.

Ronald Short was born in Great Ponton near Grantham on September 24, 1920 and was the third of six children.

Residents and staff at Eccleshare Court Care and Nursing Home in Lincoln helped Ron celebrate this week. He received a birthday card from the Queen and the cake baked by the home’s chef Noel Claveria.

Home Manager Susannah Barker-Milan said: “Ron is such a wonderful character, we love hearing his amazing stories about his life and his family. It is a real pleasure to wish him a very happy 100th birthday from all of the Eccleshare Court family.”

Ron joined Ruston & Hornsby engineers in Grantham as an apprentice after leaving school and was also a keen footballer for the village team, Ruston & Hornsby, as well as for Grantham Town Football Club.

Ron joined the Territorial Army and when the Second World War broke out he was sent to join the Lincolnshire Engineers Regiment.

He considers himself to be one of the lucky survivors rescued in the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation.

The initial rescue was not successful as he was being shot at and was ordered to get back on the beach and dig in. Around 24 hours later he was successfully rescued and collapsed exhausted, unable to remember a thing of the boat trip back to England.

He said: “We travelled hours, being shot at on the way to the beach. I stood in the water with my gun above my head for hours awaiting rescue.”

After the war he went back to his old job at Ruston & Hornsby and married his wife Marion in 1948, who sadly died of cancer in 1959. They had a son David in 1950, who is now a professional golfer.

Ron found love again in 1969 with his second wife Lorna and lived in Cherry Willingham.

Ron was introduced to golf by some of his colleagues in 1960 and he played the sport well into his nineties and his lowest handicap was 10. A picture of a hole in one achieved 11 days before his 90th birthday is up proudly in his room at the care home.