CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

WWII veteran, former prisoner of war celebrates 100th birthday in Redlands

San Bernardino County Sun - 7/28/2018

July 27--REDLANDS -- Colleen Gibbs heard stories Friday she hadn't heard before.

Clarence Adams tends to ham it up with an audience present, his daughter joked.

Adams, a World War II veteran who served in the British military and says he was a prisoner of war, celebrated his 100th birthday Friday, July 27, at the Redlands Senior Center. Sitting at a table littered with birthday cards, red, white and blue decorations and at least two America-themed stuffed animals, Adams recalled his time in France during the war.

"It's history," he said of why he shares his experiences with others.

Adams, an Englishman who said his father was a POW during World War I, was drafted into the British military in 1939, according to a news release from the city of Redlands. Trained as a gunner and then a radio signalman, he said he was captured during the Battle of Dunkirk and held prisoner for five years. Adams had little to no food, but he worked as a carpenter.

He was liberated by General George Patton's Army on April 29, 1945, according to the news release.

"This guy's part of history," Bill Cloud, a friend at the Redlands Senior Center, said.

Sign up for The Localist, our daily email newsletter with handpicked stories relevant to where you live. Subscribe here.

A father of three adult children, Adams has lived in Highland for about 15 years. He frequents the senior center there and the one in Redlands, where he plays cribbage, a card game he has played for years.

Related links

* Fontana receives $350,000 donation for veterans memorial at Miller Park

* San Bernardino County places 1,000th homeless veteran in permanent housing

* San Bernardino World War II veteran dies two weeks after celebrating 91st birthday

* Bloomington is latest stop on the Vietnam Moving Wall's cross-country tour

* WWII veteran, San Bernardino resident Nick Huerta celebrates 91st birthday beside family, war-era fighter plane

Adams on Friday said he doesn't feel 100. Cloud, 69, credited cribbage for keeping him sharp.

Gibbs, 66, tries to visit her father every couple of months. Earlier this year, she reached out to the White House for a letter of recognition from President Donald Trump. The two parties are working out logistics, she said.

"My father always told us he was going to live 'til 100 to be buried with a letter from the president," Gibbs said.

Adams, in a black veterans hat, enjoyed sheet cake and well wishes from friends. He signed a copy of a book about the Battle of Dunkirk and arranged to share his war experiences next week for the A.K. Smiley Library.

"You're a gentleman and a scholar," a friend said on his way out.

"Don't forget it," Adams replied.

___

(c)2018 the San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, Calif.)

Visit the San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, Calif.) at www.sbsun.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.