A World War Two soldier who credited a pint of Guinness with saving his life from a Nazi rocket attack in Belgium has celebrated his 100th birthday. Ken Pusey, who served with the Royal Engineers, toasted the milestone with a pint of the black stuff, more than 80 years after it famously spared him.
A Lucky Escape in Antwerp
In December 1944, Ken was 18 and had planned to spend the day at a cinema in Belgium. At the last minute, he changed his mind and went to a club serving draught Guinness. While he was enjoying his drink, the nearby Cinema Rex in Antwerp took a direct hit from a Nazi V2 rocket, killing 567 people.
Ken said: "The chaps had no chance, they were annihilated. We just thanked our blessings, because but for the toss of a coin and a pint of Guinness, we'd have been dead."
Celebrating 100 Years
Ken celebrated his birthday at the Royal Star & Garter home in High Wycombe, where he has lived since 2022. He received a card from the King and Queen, a special box of goodies from Guinness, and a personalised Wycombe Wanderers shirt signed by the squad.
Ken said: "I'm now 100 and I can't help but look back on the moments that shaped my life, and that day in Antwerp which has lived with me forever. I have often thought about how differently my life could have turned out."
A Life Remembered
Ken was born in High Wycombe in 1926. He left school at 14 to work in a firm producing instruments for the Armed Forces. He joined the Army in 1944, served in Belgium and Germany, and was demobilised in 1947. He later worked in factories and raised a family with his wife Pam.
