Alec Penstone

Alec William George Penstone (23 April 1925 – 28 May 2026) was a British World War II veteran who served in the Royal Navy during the war, notably aboard , an escort aircraft carrier. Records show that he participated in D-Day operations and Arctic convoy missions. He volunteered as a teenage messenger during the London Blitz, reportedly leaving his factory job to contribute to the war effort. In his naval career, he served on submarines before transferring to the HMS Campania, which played a key role in mine-sweeping and escort duties in the lead-up to the Normandy invasion.

Penstone began his service in the Royal Navy in 1943, after completing his training in December that year. He remained on active duty after the end of the war in Europe, serving through VE Day and then being deployed to the Far East, before he was demobilised in September 1946. His 100th birthday was celebrated by members of the Royal Naval Association's Isle of Wight branch.

On 7 November 2025, ahead of Remembrance Sunday, Penstone gave an interview on Good Morning Britain, where he voiced profound disappointment in the state of modern Britain, lamenting that freedoms he fought for had eroded and that his country was "a darn sight worse than when I fought for it". His comments prompted expressions of gratitude and a commitment to uphold the values for which he and his peers served.

Personal life and death Penstone met his wife Gladys, an acrobatic dancer, on Christmas Eve 1943 and the couple married on 21 July 1945 after Penstone obtained a special marriage licence from Geoffrey Fisher, the Archbishop of Canterbury, two days before he returned to duty in Japan. They had a daughter, Jacqueline.