A Second World War veteran from New Moston is celebrating his 100th birthday this on the 103rd anniversary of Armistice Day.
4546204 Corporal Donald McCaig, 99, was a member of the White Rhino 40, Queens Bays, 2nd Dragoon Guards, 2nd Army Brigade, 1st Army Division.
The timing of his 100th birthday coincides with Armistice Day, which is marked on November 11 with a two-minute silence at 11am.
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The First World War (1914-1918) ended when the Allies and Germany signed an Armistice agreement on 11 November 1918.
A Mancunian through and through, Donald lived in New Moston for a great number of years.
The oldest of four children, Donald is the only sibling to have survived.
Currently residing in a Manchester care home, he has dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Although he struggles with his short-term memory, he has no problem recognising his family members or even recalling events from 30 or 40 years ago.
And he has had quite an illustrious life, starting from the day he was born at his home in Miles Platting.
Some of his personal documents may suggest otherwise, but Donald was born just after midnight, on the 11th of November, 1921.
Shortly after giving birth to Donald, his mother was told by the midwife: "We can't have an Armistice Day baby!"
So, the midwife recorded Donald's birth date as November 10 instead.
At age 14, Donald left school and began work as a cabinet-maker.
Upon joining the Armed Forces, he was one of the youngest in his regiment.
He was a radio and signal operator in the tank regiment.
A Desert Rat, Donald saw action in the Battle of El Alamein in Egypt in 1942.
He also went through Libya into Italy, as part of the Allies' struggle for North Africa.
In one battle during the Italian campaign, all the tanks went into the valley and Donald was shot at from either side of the valley walls.
Just a few days before he was conscripted abroad, he met his late wife, Hilda, at a picture-house in Failsworth.
The couple got married on 25th May, 1946.
Donald was 24 and his bride was 22.
Together, they had children Stuart, Ian and Lindsey.
During their courtship, Donald and Hilda wrote to each other for four years.
They were happily married and were "always together", except for their separation during his war years.
All his working life, Donald was a cabinet-maker and joiner, until he retired.
In June 2019, Donald sadly became widowed.
Donald also has had three granddaughters, two great-grandsons and two great-granddaughters, as well as two great-great granddaughters.
The Second World War is not the only battle Donald survived.
In the early days of the pandemic, Donald became very unwell with coronavirus, at a time when testing for the virus was not readily available.
So, it was unclear exactly what was making Donald ill.
Lockdown restrictions also meant that Donald could not receive visitors, which was deeply difficult for the whole family.
Fortunately, Donald's fighting spirit helped him recover from the virus, though the illness left him very tired for weeks afterwards.
He was later able to communicate with his relatives on WhatsApp, using an iPad.
When lockdown rules eased, Donald's family were able to talk to him through a window, which frustrated him because he could not understand why they could not meet face-to-face.
Daughter Lindsey McCaig, from Moston, shared a birthday message for her dad with the M.E.N.: “Happy birthday, we love you and you are one in a million!
"My dad has been a great dad to all of us and a great grandfather.
"He is a very, very family-orientated man.
"He has got family in America and he has got nieces in England, who live far away.
"They came to see us two years ago, just after my mum died, which was really lovely.
“It’s nice that they can join in with the birthday celebrations on Facebook. I have tagged them in the posts, showing what’s happening for my dad. They’ve sent cards.
"But with Covid restrictions, they can’t be here.
"My dad has got a lot of family that love him very much."
Before the pandemic hit, Donald would regularly visit Manchester City Centre with his family, where he would enjoy befriending people.
Lindsey added: " Before Covid, my brother used to take my dad to Market Street and he was friends with all the homeless people, the Big Issue sellers and the buskers.
"He used to pose for pictures with them.
"He doesn’t play a musical instrument but he used to chat to them and stroke their dogs."
Son Stuart McCaig said: "My dad has always been a top guy, always looked after his family.
“We are looking forward to my dad reaching 100 and celebrating his 100th year.
"We will be raising a glass or two to celebrate, that’s for sure. His favourite tipple is rum.
"He has had a very good life. He has always been active, up to his late 90s. He was still driving a car at 80.
"He has always been one of those guys who you could go and talk to about anything and he would listen and offer you advice.
“Our family is very, very proud indeed that he served the country."
The connection between Donald and his Army colleagues was one that lasted a lifetime.
Stuart added: “He did talk about his Army days a lot when he was younger.
"There are tales I could tell, but I can’t, because the M.E.N. wouldn’t be able to print them!
"He would talk about battles and his mates. He stayed very close to some of his friends.
"My dad would go to regimental reunions at the pub. He would meet up with his old comrades and they would get absolutely roaring drunk and have a good time.
"That’s what they did. He always included me and my brother with it. My sister was too young at the time."
To mark Donald's 100th birthday, the McCaigs are having a family party at the Fairway Inn pub on Nuthurst Road in New Moston.
Having a drink at the Fairway Inn has become something of a birthday tradition for Donald.
In 2019, the family celebrated Donald's 98th birthday over a drink at the pub.
Lockdown restrictions prevented them for doing the same for his 99th birthday last year.
On her father's birthday coinciding with Armistice Day, Lindsey said: "It's just an amazing coincidence.
"I do take my dad to the Fairway pub for Armistice Day.
"The pub does a lot of stuff for veterans, which my dad really enjoys because he gets to talk to other veterans.
"I couldn't take my dad there last year because it was lockdown.
"My brothers and I take our dad out of the care home, three or four times a week, to the pub. He is still his same jolly self."
The McCaigs have a special family connection to the Fairway Inn pub.
Donald's own father used to drink there when it was called the Broadway pub.
Lindsey continued: “My dad jokes, when we go into the pub, saying, ‘my dad should have had shares in this pub, he bought that much beer in there’.
"As my grandfather got older, my dad used to take him to the pub.
"They spent a lot of time in there over his life, although it’s changed.
"My dad does say, “the bar was on the other side when I was younger” and he is right!"
Donald's father was a First World War veteran, who was in the Battles of the Ypres in 1914 and the Somme in 1916.
After losing an arm, he was commissioned out of the army and received a certificate signed by the King of England at the time.
It has come full circle now, as Donald is set to receive a 100th birthday card from Her Majesty the Queen.
"It's a possibility that we will end up with two of those 100th birthday cards, actually," said Stuart.
" Because the pension people said to my sister that they will arrange for my dad to get a card from the Queen.
"But my brother didn’t know this and he has arranged a card from the Queen, as well.
"I think only one will turn up, but you never know, we might end up with two!"
Mark Sweetland, manager of the Fairway Inn, is helping to arrange Donald's 100th birthday party.
Two years ago, Donald came in to the pub and took a picture with Mark, who said it was "an absolute pleasure to shake hands with a hero."
An ex-veteran himself, Mark has arranged for a pipe band and the pub to be dressed in military flags, as well as military vehicles on display outside the pub, weather permitting.
He has also enlisted the help of the Fairway veterans breakfast club to celebrate the day.
Mark said: "I was overwhelmed that Donald's family have chosen this pub to celebrate his 100th birthday.
"Apparently, Donald's father was a First World War veteran and he used to drink in this pub when it was a Broadway pub a long, long time ago.
"Donald remembers when his father used to come in here and he tells his children, “your grandfather used to drink in here”.
"There’s a family connection with the pub.
“A massive 100th birthday to a war veteran who survived World War Two!"
And the community is fully involved to help make Donald's 100th birthday special.
One lady, who is an ex-military personnel herself, has offered to donate a balloon display for the party.
Meanwhile, children from local schools have been making birthday cards for Donald.
St. John Fisher RC Primary School has posted two large envelopes of birthday cards to the pub.
Among other schools getting involved are Holy Trinity CE Primary School in Blackley and Co-op Academy Failsworth.
Speaking about his family's reaction to the community's efforts, Stuart added: "It was just me, my sister, my brother and my wife wanting to take my dad to the pub, but now it's snowballed and grown from there, really.
"I'm glad it has, because I think my dad deserves it.
"We're really happy and really proud."
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