Nineteen years old and serving as a second pilot on a Whitley bomber, Brian Walley was the only survivor after his aircraft was forced to ditch into the North Sea in 1941.

After being rescued by a German seaplane two days later, he spent the next three-and-a-half years as a prisoner of war.

Now celebrating his 104th birthday, his advice is simple.

“Live happily. Don’t forget about tomorrow,” he said.

Surrounded by friends and family, Mr Walley celebrated his 104th birthday on Thursday last week with a party marking the milestone.

Born in Cheshire, England, in 1922, he is one of Western Australia’s oldest surviving World War II veterans and prisoners of war.

Wearing his badges and medals with pride at the party, Mr Walley said he had earned them the hard way, enlisting in the Royal Air Force a day before his 18th birthday.

Returning home from the war after five years, Mr Walley fondly recalls the moment he was reunited with his late wife Mair who was 21 at the time and working at her uncle’s petrol station.

He said his parents picked him up from the railway, spotting Mair on their way home.

“They stopped the car, I piled out, she saw me, forgot all about the petrol and rushed across,” he said.

They married six months later and raised five children together. All five celebrated with Mr Walley on Thursday, two even flying into Australia from Mexico and from Wales.

The family emigrated to Australia in 1967, later settling in WA where Mr Walley had a successful career in mining and mineral exploration.

He has published five books documenting his stories, and continues to share his life lessons with the younger generation through fortnightly visits with children from Bluebird Childcare in Margaret River.

Mr Walley’s son Hugh Walley said he was amazed to be celebrating his dad’s 104th birthday.

“You wouldn’t expect your parents to live for this long and it’s been absolutely fantastic to be able to come down and share it with him,” he said.