A Royal Engineer from the Isle of Wight who played a key role in the D-Day operation during the Second World War, has celebrated his 100th birthday.

John William Harry (Jack) was born on January 2, 1923, in Balham, South London, to Kate Rose and John William Harry snr. 

Jack had an elder brother and sister, Ernest and Alice, and a younger brother, Ted, born in 1924.

The family moved shortly after to Mitcham, Surrey, where Jack attended local schools before studying engineering and building technology at The Brixton School of Building.

Read more: Shanklin Nursing home resident marks 100th birthday.

This education was to prove to be the foundation of his career as a structural engineer.

During his army service from 1942 to 1945 he developed a specialism in steel structures in a special railway bridging section of The Royal Engineers.

Jack was involved with the construction of the Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches , Normandy, in the weeks immediately following D-Day and subsequently contributed to the construction of numerous bridges in France, Holland, Belgium and Germany. 

Following demob, Jack resumed his engineering career and married Mary Elizabeth Bentley on 22 August, 1947, in Mitcham.

By 1950 Jack and Mary were living in Bognor Regis and he worked on the construction of Shoreham Power Station.

When the project completed, the family (by now including Andrew, Pete and Rob) remained in Bognor and Jack commuted to London.

In 1974 Jack and Mary moved to Warningcamp outside Arundel where the large garden enabled Jack to pursue his love of gardening.

A project in Dubai in the mid 70s gave Jack the opportunity to fly on Concorde.

He spent the final part of his career working for an engineering consultancy in Midhurst, West Sussex.

In 2002 Jack and Mary moved to Niton where they were very close to Rob and all his family.

They now have four grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.

Jack and Mary, who turns 100 later this year, moved into care in 2002 and live at Eden House Care Home in Totland.