Diederik was almost the youngest England sailor and is now the oldest: ‘I don’t feel like a hero’

At 102 years old, Diederik van Overbeek is the oldest and almost certainly last living England sailor. He was only 16 when he escaped from bombed Rotterdam by bicycle to join the fight against Nazi Germany from England. It was a dangerous journey that only took him to his destination via Belgium, France and a Spanish concentration camp three years later.

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