War Hero Arthur “Jim” Freer Marks VE Day at 100
Residents, families and staff at Newstone House care home gathered in the garden this week as 100‑year‑old Arthur “Jim” Freer, a former RAF flight engineer, lit the town’s official VE Day 80 beacon.
Born in Northamptonshire in 1925, Jim flew more than 30 Halifax bomber sorties during the Second World War and later received France’s highest honour, the Légion d’Honneur. Invited by Sturminster Newton Mayor Helen Lacey, Jim dedicated the beacon lighting “to the many comrades who never came home.”
“I accepted the Mayor’s invitation not for myself but on behalf of those who didn’t make it back. I feel immensely lucky to have reached 100.”
— Arthur “Jim” Freer
The ceremony followed a surprise centenary party at Newstone House attended by veterans, service personnel and Jim’s wife Valerie, who thanked the team for “a very special and memorable day.”
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