Island war hero, Alec Penstone, caused a stir following a television interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain last Friday (November 7).

The interview went viral on social media, with 100-year-old Alec admitting: “I don’t know if I’m famous or infamous now!”

During the chat with presenters, Kate Garraway and Adil Ray, Alec, of Shanklin, said: “I can’t see anything that I’ve done, especially that wouldn’t have been done by other people of my generation. I’m just one of the lucky ones; I’m still alive.

“I can see in my mind’s eye, rows and rows of white stones, all the hundreds of my friends; they gave their lives – for what? The country of today, I’m sorry, the sacrifice wasn’t worth the result.

“What we fought for was our freedom; we fought for it. Even now, it [the country] is a darn sight worse than when I fought for it.”

He joined the Royal Navy just before his 17th birthday, and served aboard HMS Campania.

During the war, he took part in the perilous Arctic Convoys, sailing to Russia before his ship was diverted as part of the D-Day landings. In the early hours of June 6, 1944, Alec’s vessel provided cover for the Allied invasion fleet, protecting landing craft from German U-boats as the largest seaborne invasion in history unfolded off the coast of Normandy.

Alec’s time on the Good Morning Britain soft ended on a happier note as he was presented with a CD featuring many of his favourite songs by one of the D-Day Darlings, a popular wartime group who reached the final of Britain’s got Talent in 2018.

This week the IW Observer caught up with Alec. He reiterated his stance, saying: “I didn’t speak out of turn; I spoke how I felt. I have been outspoken about things in the past and I can’t understand how it’s gone viral. I’ve been getting lots of phone calls from people talking about it.

“I still don’t understand how I’m still here; I didn’t think I would live beyond 21.”

Alec returned to France for the 80th anniversary commemorations of D-Day last year, where he paid tribute to fallen comrades.

He added: “I didn’t go back this year; it was too upsetting. I found my cousin’s grave when I was there; he was one of the Red Berets who dropped on the beach and was only a couple of years older than me.

“I also didn’t realise just how many innocent people were killed in Normandy as we bombed it to get a foothold on mainland France, but they don’t hold that against us.”

Alec remains an active supporter of the Royal British Legion and continues to sell poppies each year.