St Ives RAF Harrier veteran turns 100 and cycles 10 miles a day
A retired Royal Air Force flight sergeant who has just turned 100 years old puts his longevity down to one thing - cycling.Geoffrey Bolton, who was born on 21 May 1925, still cycles on an indoor exercise bike and clocks up 10 miles (6 km) a day at his home in St Ives, Cambridgeshire.Mr Bolton joined the RAF when he was 16 and went on to be awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for his efforts in helping develop the Harrier jump jet as part of the technical team.He says he does not like any fuss and feels "no different at 100... it's just a number".
He celebrated his big day with his family around him as he received a card from King Charles III, and, of course, did his 10-mile bike hike.
During World War Two, Mr Bolton says he served mostly in the UK, keeping aircraft up to scratch for aerial missions to Europe. As his career progressed he became an electronic fitter for navigational instruments and was part of the technical team working on the Harrier jump jet.Mr Bolton is modest about getting his BEM in 1972."I wasn't a special person, I was just doing my job along with all the others and was lucky enough to get a medal which was presented to me by the British ambassador in Bonn," he said.
Mr Bolton met his bride-to-be when he was posted to Sylt - a German island close to the border with Denmark.He married RAF Cpl Joyce Tayler in 1947 and enjoyed 72 years of marriage which produced three children. His daughter Jill Bolton, 63, lives with her father and cares for him. She says he is "a very special man".
Jill adds that her dad was an old romantic when her mum was alive."He would cycle out on their anniversary day about 14 miles to a florist shop in St Neots where my dad would buy a single white rose that the owner would fix to his his handlebars and he would duly ride back to present it to my mum," she says."It was a tradition that went on for many, many years."Mr Bolton says he still completes crosswords and other puzzles each day and reckons it is his many interests and active exercise regime that has contributed to his long life."I have always led a very healthy, moderate life and my daughter Jill, who looks after me beautifully, makes sure I eat my fruit and veg," he said.
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