Meet the 100-year-old WW2 veteran 'Speedy Gonzales' pledging not to give up his licence

For determined Paul Terry, life has always been lived in the fast lane. The sprightly centenarian - one of three brothers who served in the King's Royal Rifle Corps during World War 2 - knows no other way than duty and sacrifice. He landed in Normandy during the D-Day invasion and fought through France, Belgium and into Holland where this weekend he will be among veterans commemorating the mighty Allied airborne and ground assault known as Operation Market Garden.

Participation is hugely important to him but is tinged with regret as it means leaving his beloved wife Dorothy, 87, for whom he is a full time carer, home alone in Pevensey Bay, near Eastbourne, East Sussex. Incredibly Paul, 100, does the lot - cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing, and shopping, which he collects on weekly visits to the shop in his pristine BMW convertible.

He said: "I like to keep busy and I just keep going. If I keep moving I don't feel old, but If I stop to sit down, that would be me finished. I've still got all my faculties. I am confident, competent, and drive safely, so I see no reason why I or any other older person shouldn't be on the road. When I am driving I am not only driving my car, but the one in front and the one behind. It's the younger generation who are far more of a danger - and motorcyclists who I call the terrorists of the road."

Paul was conscripted when he was 18 and never took, let alone passed, a formal driving test. He was simply told to jump into a wagon and learn on the spot.

He was decorated with the Legion of Honour, the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, for his D-Day service.

And he was nearly killed when he was blown up by a German shell while holed up in a trench in Nazi-occupied Holland, suffering catastrophic leg injuries. Paul was evacuated back to the UK and medically discharged from the Army, but was so determined to serve his country that he later rejoined as a reservist and was on duty at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

After the war, he continued helping others, working as an ambulance driver in Surrey for 35 years.

Paul's fearlessness behind the wheel is a lifeline - both for him and Dorothy - who is largely housebound.

It enables him to dash to the shops and collect up her favourite treat - a hot sausage roll from a local bakery. But it comes at a cost. Paul's annual car insurance is an eye-watering £2,800.

The great-great-grandfather, who holds a full clean driving licence, took the Sunday Express for a spin along the seafront on England's Sunshine Coast in what he joked would be a white-knuckle ride.

He said: "Around here they call me Speedy Gonzales. I love the freedom that driving gives me and have no problem behind the wheel. As long as I am careful - and I always stick to the speed limit - I see no good reason why I can't continue."

Dorothy said: "He's marvellous. He does everything around the house and he's a great driver. I am a very lucky lady."

Born in Ramsgate, Kent, in 1925 when Stanley Baldwin was prime minister, Paul and his brothers all survived the war.

Victor, who served alongside Paul in the 12th battalion and was four years older, died in 1999 aged 78.

His twin Peter served in the 2nd battalion, famous for its service in the North African campaign, particularly at the Battle of El Alamein. He died in 2019 aged 94.

This weekend, as something of a change, Paul is being taken for a ride as he and four other veterans attend remembrance services in Oosterbeek to mark the 81st anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem.

He and his pals have been chauffeured to Holland by the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans in what will be their last overseas commemorative trip of the year.