A WWII RAF veteran who trained at Longtown airfields has celebrated his 100th birthday.

Ken Guest, who is currently based in Kent, has family and friends in Cumbria and was trained for deployment in Longtown.

Being one of the few WWII veterans remaining, Ken has a remarkable story to tell of life during wartime and life in the armed forces.

During his time in the Army, Ken was a member of the Lancaster RAF Bomber Command and experienced life or death situations as a bomb aimer.

News and Star: Ken proudly showcases the medals he earned during his time in the armed forcesKen proudly showcases the medals he earned during his time in the armed forces (Image: Peter Guest)

Ken celebrated his 100th birthday on Friday, Octber 28 with his friends and family around him.

READ MORE: Cumbria County Council tackles cost-of-living crisis with financial support

Ken's son Peter Guest explained how happy he is that his dad reached this milestone and gave a sense of how his dad felt about reaching 100.

He said: "It is a massive achievement but my dad is very modest.

"It's all quite overwhelming and when you get to that age you can hardly believe it," Peter added.

Peter also planned another celebration which took place on Sunday, November 6 and was attended by some of Ken's friends from Carlisle and Cumbria.

Speaking about the recent celebration, Peter described how it encapsulated the feelings of pride and happiness surrounding Ken reaching this milestone.

He said: "It was brilliant, we did not have too many people but had some friends that we have known for 37 years, they all love my dad.

"We got him a beautiful cake which had the RAF logo on it and it had on it the Latin phrase 'per ardua ad astra' which means 'through adversity to the stars' so that was lovely."

News and Star: The RAF-themed centre piece of Ken's birthday celebrationsThe RAF-themed centre piece of Ken's birthday celebrations (Image: Peter Guest)

Ken also received a special commemorative card from the King and Queen Consort to mark the occassion, something which Peter was thrilled to receive.

READ MORE: Carlisle's firework show veteran on 24 years in the bonfire business

This card came at an emotional time for Ken, after the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

In an interview produced for the 2017 Remembrance Sunday service at St James Church in Carlisle, Ken spoke about his wartime experiences.

News and Star: Ken in his RAF uniform during the Second World WarKen in his RAF uniform during the Second World War (Image: Peter Guest)

He said: "You just did it. It was a period in my life I suppose that I felt I was being used to make the world a safer place.

"We were flying once and the port engine failed, and that provided the power to the under-carriage.

"The alternative then is to wind it down by hand but we weren't high enough, we wouldn't have had time.

"Fortunately there was an airfield close-by.

"We came in, wheels up, and landed at the side of the runway, if we had landed in the runway itself it probably would've caught fire." 

READ MORE:  Carlisle United set to face League Two rivals in the second round of the FA Cup