A SECOND World War veteran recently celebrated his 100th birthday with friends at Cwmbran’s Parkway Hotel.

George Reynolds enjoyed a vintage musical performance at his party, organised by the Newport branch of the Royal Artillery Association (RAA).

The branch’s secretary, Rev Richard Thomas Grey, who presented Mr Reynolds with a special plaque, said: “It was a marvellous evening.

“George had the time of his life, and we were proud to be there with him on his 100th birthday.”

After war broke out, Mr Reynolds was posted to Singapore, then Malaysia, where he fought the invading Japanese forces.

He became a prisoner of war when the British signed an armistice with Japan in 1942.

Until the war’s end, he was held prisoner in Singapore and Taiwan, where he was subjected to brutal treatment at the hands of his captors.

Since then, he has made several trips back to Taiwan with other survivors.

At his party on July 28, Mr Reynolds and the other guests were entertained by Pashy Pops, two sisters from Cwmbran, who performed classic songs from the wartime era.

Also in attendance were a group of Mr Reynolds’ old friends from England, and several Japanese women who take part in reconciliation work between the UK and Japan.

The RAA also decorated the hotel with wartime memorabilia, and photographs of Mr Reynolds in his uniform.

Rev Grey said the event symbolised the close bonds forged by the RAA’s members, who will travel to London’s Hyde Park on Remembrance Sunday to march past the regiment’s memorial.

“Our motto is ‘once a gunner, always a gunner’”, he said.

The association will also meet on December 1 to celebrate the regiment’s patron saint, St Barbara, at Greenmeadow Golf Club in Cwmbran.

If you are interested in joining the RAA, contact Rev Grey on 01495 619056 or 07798 713917.

To read more about Mr Reynolds' life and experiences in the war, click here.