100-year-old Royal Air Force veteran will join UK memorial service for the first time

LONDON (AP) — Michael Woods has visited his wife, Mary, every day since she moved into a nursing home two years ago.

But on Sunday, the 100-year-old Royal Air Force veteran will skip the daily get-together so he can fulfill another duty — honoring the men he served with during World War II.

For the first time since he left the RAF in 1947, Woods will take part in Britain’s national Remembrance Day service, joining thousands of veterans as they march past the Cenotaph war memorial in central London to honor those who died during the world wars and all the conflicts that followed.

“It’s a great privilege for me to do this,” said Woods, a mechanic who kept Lancaster bombers flying during the war. “And I suppose I’ll never do it again."

The annual ceremony is a solemn event marked every year when the king and envoys from the Commonwealth nations that fought alongside Britain in the two world wars lay wreaths at the Cenotaph. It culminates when up to 10,000 veterans, many with medals gleaming on their chests and regimental berets on their heads, parade past the memorial.

Until now, Woods has watched on television from his home in Dunstable, 30 miles (50 kilometers) away. Mary always watched with him.

Woods had a lot on his mind before. For many years, he was busy with his family: two daughters, a son, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. And, more recently, he was looking after Mary, his wife of 68 years.

But there was something else holding him back as well. He didn’t feel he deserved the honor, as he was “just" a mechanic working on the 12-cylinder Rolls-Royce Merlin engines that powered the Lancaster bombers. He changed his mind after he connected with other ex-service members through Blind Veterans UK, the charity that has helped him deal with macular degeneration and glaucoma.

He felt it was time to remember the men who didn’t come home after they roared into the sky aboard planes he had certified as airworthy. Each Lancaster carried a crew of seven, most in their early 20s, so the losses — so many at once — were hard to bear.

“It’s very, very upsetting when a Lancaster takes off and it doesn’t return," Woods told The Associated Press.

“I couldn’t forget it if I wanted to," he added. “It’s just imprinted on your mind, you know."

The RAF’s Bomber Command had the highest attrition rate of any Allied unit during World War II, with 44% of aircrew members killed in action, according to the International Bomber Command Centre. Some 55,573 of the 125,000 who served on the aircrews died during the war.

Adrian Bell, CEO of Blind Veterans UK, said he’s met many World War II veterans who describe themselves as mere cogs in a massive machine. But that’s what it took to defeat fascism. Everyone was needed.

So come Sunday, Woods will be marching.

With the stubbornness to retain his independence that seems to have come with turning 100, Woods insists he won’t use a wheelchair because he has never used one before and isn’t going to start now. Besides, his son, Eddie, will be there to act as a guide and his buddies from the charity will be nearby to offer emotional support.

He will be an inspiration, Bell said.

“I think the most important thing is the fortitude of a man who is 100 years old, who fought in the Second World War and beyond, who is going to be there physically on Sunday and marching as a tribute to those who lost their lives and as a sort of a sign of hope and a sign ... that there is life after all of these things," Bell said. “That’s the embodiment of something that I think is really important.”

Michael Woods, 100-year-old World War II veteran, poses for a photograph during an interview in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Michael Woods, 100-year-old World War II veteran wears a pin featuring a Lancaster Bomber during an interview in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Michael Woods, 100-year-old World War II veteran, speaks during an interview in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Michael Woods, 100-year-old World War II veteran, poses for a photograph during an interview in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Michael Woods, 100-year-old World War II veteran, poses with his wife Mary during an interview in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Michael Woods, 100-year-old World War II veteran, right, speaks during a video interview next to his son Eddie in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Michael Woods, 100-year-old World War II veteran, shows his Royal Air Force Service And Release Book, during an interview in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Michael Woods, 100-year-old World War II veteran, chats with his wife Mary during an interview in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Michael Woods, 100-year-old World War II veteran, sits in front of a projecting image during an interview in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Michael Woods, 100-year-old World War II veteran, speaks during an interview in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Michael Woods, 100-year-old World War II veteran, shows a photo of himself during an interview in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Michael Woods, 100-year-old World War II veteran, poses with his wife Mary during an interview in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Michael Woods, 100-year-old World War II veteran, poses for a photograph during an interview in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor each scored twice, Connor Hellebuyck made 33 saves, and the Winnipeg Jets won their seventh straight, 6-3 over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.

Gabriel Vilardi and Vladislav Namestnikov also scored for the Jets, who have now won 15 of their first 16 games.

Will Cuylle, Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko scored for the Rangers, who dropped their second straight home game following last Thursday’s 6-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

Hellebuyck improved to 12-1-0 this season.

Scheifele scored 57 seconds into the contest before Cuylle tied it at 13:07 of the first.

Vilardi put the visitors ahead on the power play at 8:58 before Lafreniere tied the game again at 12:51 of the second.

Connor put the Jets ahead for good at 16:03 of the second. Scheifele scored again 1:08 into the third — his ninth of the season — before Kakko narrowed the deficit to 4-3 just 32 seconds later. Namestnikov scored his fifth at 13:08 and Connor completed the scoring into an empty net with 20 seconds to play.

Igor Shesterkin, who gave up five goals and was pulled at home in the loss to Buffalo, made 27 saves for the Rangers.

Winnipeg stayed perfect on the road with seven straight wins.

Hellebuyck made a lunging save on Reilly Smith at 4:50 of the second and denied Chris Krieder point-blank on a power play later in the period.

Connor leads the Jets with 22 points. He is one of 11 Winnipeg players with 10 or more points.

Rangers forward Artemi Panarin assisted on Lafreniere’s goal. Panarin leads the Rangers with 22 points — including 10 goals — and has points in 13 of New York’s 14 games this season.

Rangers: Host the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.

Jets: Visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

New York Rangers' Vincent Trocheck (16), left, moves the puck up the ice as Winnipeg Jets' Adam Lowry chases during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Rangers' Mika Zibanejad, center, watches as Winnipeg Jets' Mark Scheifele (55) knocks the puck down during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Rangers' Will Cuylle, second from right, celebrates his goal with teammates Filip Chytil, right, Zac Jones, second from left, and Braden Schneider (4) during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Winnipeg Jets Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, left, makes a save as New York Rangers' Vincent Trocheck looks on during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stops the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Winnipeg Jets' Kyle Connor brings the puck up the ice just before scoring during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Winnipeg Jets' Mark Scheifele (55), center, celebrates with teammates after scoring during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the New York RangersTuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in New York. The Jets defeated the Rangers 6-3. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)