CELEBRATING his 101st birthday recently, Thomas 'Tommy' McBrien reflected briefly on how things have changed in Enniskillen.

A 'true' Enniskillener – born 'between the bridges' on March 18, 1920 – Tommy laughed as he said: “Not many born between the bridges now!”

Tommy has lived an interesting and varied life in his 101 years. As a boy, the town he grew up in was lit by gas lamps, his home was on Market Street, and he played golf with his friends on Regal Entry.

"Things have changed, all right. The houses I used to know, they are all gone – flattened," said Tommy.

Many across the community will be familiar with Tommy, due to his role as an RAF engineer – during World War Two Tommy was stationed in Burma, and the Far East.

Before the War, Tommy started an apprenticeship as an electrician under the guidance of Harry Davenport. He recalled working to bring electricity to Enniskillen town centre and surrounding areas: “I worked at Derrychara; I wired a lot of the houses there.”

He began his RAF Electrician training RAF at 19 when he joined the war efforts as an Aircraftsman First Class, and a member of the RAF technical grounds crew in April, 1939.

He trained in Yorkshire and moved across various bases in England, including Lincolnshire and Leeds, andwas posted to the Middle East. During this period, he worked on Squadron 61.

While he was overseas, the war effort took him to many places, including Singapore, where he marked a major life event: “I celebrated my 21st birthday there, and had my first drink.”

His war postings took him to the west coast of Africa, as well as Burma, and other parts of the area that is now divided up as India and Pakistan because of partition.

Tommy spent this period of the War effort in Squadron 205, where he mainly worked on Catalina aircrafts.

He recalled being in Singapore: “We were there during the Pearl Harbour attack, and around that time, we started there for a few months before the Japanese came. Pearl Harbour happened [December 7, 1941], and Singapore surrendered later [February 1942].”

Tommy was then evacuated to Australia via Indonesia. Recalling the period, he said: “We went there as individuals, and were shipped in some style. We travelled to Australia on a coastal cruiser, and they treated us like lords.”

During this time, Tommy was predominantly posted to the west coast of Australia, and he recalled how the RAF men in Australia worked in the northeast coast of Australia, and “loaded bombs from one side of the train tracks to the other”, which proved difficult with the varying rail gauges present at the time.

When D-Day occurred, Tommy was in India. He recalled how many members of the public respected the military in Burma, and said: “They would have stood to one side of the streets [when we passed].”

After the war, Tommy returned to England via the Mediterranean, and worked briefly in London before returning home to Enniskillen.

He laughed as he recalled his story of gaining employment: “In the morning, a friend of my sisters told Percy Whaley that ‘Tommy McBrien was back home after six years’, and by two o’clock, Percy had offered me a job.”

After marrying Bridie Gormley, Tommy moved to Cornagrade in 1960, where the couple had four children: “Two girls and two boys – Cathleen, Christina, Kevin and Michael”.

He has four grandchildren, and Tommy added: “They all look after me very well.”

Today, Tommy still has many interests. He proudly displayed a certificate from the Credit Union celebrating 50 years of the organisation.

“I was a founding member of Enniskillen Credit Union in 1966; I was number four.” He was also a founding member of St. Michael’s Scouts.

In his younger years, he was also a stage star, having taken part in amateur dramatics, most notably playing the role of Mr. D’Arcy in Pride and Prejudice, as well as lending a hand to the backstage crew and helping with lighting.

Nowadays, Tommy enjoys reading the paper every day, and watching sport on television. His birthday celebrations this year were a quieter affair than usual, but his son added: “It was a good weekend for him – Ireland won and United lost!”

This year, the distinguished veteran received birthday greetings from a number of dignitaries, including First Minister, Arlene Foster; Viscount Brookborough; Diana Armstrong, Chair, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council; and Michael D. Higgins, President, the Republic of Ireland, who also sent him a medal.

Tommy laughed when The Impartial Reporter asked him for some tips on how to live a long life.

He said: “Live life as best as you can. Stay clean, eat well, and try to behave.”