“For your tomorrow, we gave our today” - the moving words of RAF WWII veteran Tom Davidson as he recalled the loss of his brother Frank and “around 50%” of his colleagues during the conflict.

Tom, now 102, spoke to the Echo ahead of Remembrance Sunday about the vital importance of never forgetting those such as Frank who made the ultimate sacrifice so we can enjoy the freedoms we have today.

WWII RAF veteran Tom Davidson, 102, with a photograph of his brother Frank. | sn

placeholder image — WWII RAF veteran Tom Davidson, 102, with a photograph of his brother Frank. | sn

Tom, who lives in Holly House Care Home in Washington, was returning from Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, where he had just enrolled in the RAF, when he and his parents were given the devastating news all wartime families dreaded.

He said: “I arrived home on the train from London at 8pm and my parents had received a telegram at 6pm on the same day informing them that Frank was missing and presumed dead.

“We all knew this could happen as around 50% of my colleagues in the RAF perished. Frank was 29 when he died and I often think about the 82 years of life I’ve had since he passed away which he never had.

“We never found out exactly what happened to Frank, but I assume he was shot down. It was four years after Frank went missing that they found Frank’s remains along with three other members of his crew and they are now buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery in Germany.

“My oldest grandson went out to visit his grave about four years ago. There’s not a day doesn’t go by when I don’t think about Frank.”

Tom said not a day goes by when he doesn't think of his brother Frank. | sn

Sadly, Frank wasn’t the only person close to Tom who he lost, with many of his school friends and RAF comrades perishing during the conflict.

Tom, who was born in Felling but has lived in Washington for nearly 40 years, said: “One of my friends in the RAF was Jon Duckworth. We had both got married on the same day.

“Six months later we both embarked on one of our missions and John was shot down and killed. His wife was expecting their child - this sort of thing was happening to people all the time. It was terrible.”

Tom puts surviving the war in part down to the skill of his crew, but in the main down to good fortune - something which he initially struggled with once the war ended.

He said: “A lot of it was down to chance. We came back from our first mission with 33 bullet holes in our Halifax bomber. All it needed was for one of those to hit the controls and we would have gone down.

“At the end of the conflict I actually felt a sense of guilt about why I was still here when so many of my friends and comrades had lost their lives.”

Whilst Tom won’t be attending a memorial event this year (2025) he said he does intend to watch it on the television.

He added: “It’s vital for future generations to remember the sacrifices made by Frank and all those who lost their lives in war.

“Frank was my older brother and looked out for me like any older brother should.

“Every year I shed a tear on Remembrance Sunday and this year will be no different. It’s also important to remember so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

“Sadly, when I see was is happening out in the Middle East, it looks like lessons have not been learned.”