They are the last living witnesses to Britain’s darkest hours — the men and women who stared down tyranny, buried their friends, and marched on for a freedom they believed was worth dying for.
But today, some of our most celebrated World War Two heroes say something they never imagined saying in their lifetime:
They fear Britain is no longer the country they fought for.
And their brutally honest words are touching a deep national nerve.
“A Total Waste of Flipping Time” — The Shattering Verdict of 102-Year-Old Queenie Hall
Robbie “Queenie” Hall is 102 years old — soon to be 103 — and still sharp enough to speak her mind with the same clarity she had as a 17-year-old who lied about her age to join the WAAF during WWII.
She helped plan Bomber Command raids.
She lost her fiancé, Flight Sergeant Frank Vincent, when his Lancaster bomber exploded over Germany in 1944.
She has lived through five monarchs, economic crises, cultural revolutions, and now — war returning to Europe and the Middle East.
And her verdict on the conflict that shaped her life is devastating.
“All I can say is: the war, in my opinion, was a total waste of flipping time.”
Sitting in her Suffolk home, Queenie says today’s world — marked by conflict in Ukraine, heartbreak in Gaza, and rising global tensions — feels terrifyingly familiar.
“I just don’t understand why someone always wants what someone else has got. And these are young men giving their lives. Such a waste.”
Her own family was scarred by war long before she put on her uniform.
Her father survived the Somme — barely.
Her brother-in-law was captured by the Japanese and returned home “a broken man.”
Queenie says leaders have learned nothing.
“If only they would think about what people went through in the two world wars. It’s become a very dangerous world.”
Yet even as her heart breaks for the next generation, she still shows flashes of humour and honesty that only a 102-year-old can get away with — including telling the Daily Mail she “wouldn’t give house room” to Winston Churchill’s chair after the Prime Minister showed it to her at Downing Street this month.
A Visit 81 Years in the Making
In September, Queenie travelled to the Netherlands with the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans — a charity she adores.
While near the German border, her driver asked:
“Would you like to see Frank’s grave?”
She had never been.
At Rheinberg War Cemetery, she found her fiancé’s name — and her own — carved into the headstone:
“To our darling Frank. Treasured memories. Mum, Dad, Sister and Queenie.”
She broke down.
“It was like receiving a gift I waited 81 years to receive.”
“What We Fought For Wasn’t Worth It”: D-Day Hero Alec Penstone, 100, Sparks a National Reckoning
Earlier this month, another titan of Britain’s war generation stunned the nation.
Alec Penstone, 100 — Normandy veteran, proud poppy seller, widower of 77 years — told ITV’s Good Morning Britain:
“Winning the war wasn’t worth it. The country has gone to the dogs.”
Hosts Susanna Reid and Adil Ray were left speechless.
Millions watching at home were left in tears.
Alec later told the Mail:
“I don’t know what the hell we fought for. We lost so many wonderful men. The country has gone to wrack and ruin.”
Despite some misinterpretations online, Alec insists he is not anti-immigration, saying:
“I’m not against foreigners coming in — provided they behave themselves.”
His heartbreak is not anger…
It’s sadness.
“There’s no pride anymore. No unity. Everyone just wants their own little corner.”
Although blind, he still lives independently — and still raises money for the Royal British Legion.
He keeps his late wife Gladys’s ashes on the mantelpiece.
Each night, he says, he speaks to her:
“She asks, ‘When are you coming to join me?’ I say: ‘Not yet, love.’”
“It’s Frightening for Young People Today”: Paul Terry, 100, Shares His Fears
Another veteran, 100-year-old Paul Terry — who fought from Normandy to Arnhem — says today’s world scares him more than the battlefield.
Still caring for his 87-year-old wife with Alzheimer’s, Paul had just been released from hospital when he joined Remembrance events.
“I wouldn’t want youngsters today to go through the wars we did. But the world feels very frightening again.”
He also has blunt words for Vladimir Putin:
“He thinks he’ll take over the world. He’s going to die sometime — the sooner the better.”
But unlike some critics, he praises the NHS wholeheartedly.
“People go on about foreigners in hospitals — I couldn’t fault them in any way.”
A Nation Divided — And Veterans Are the Ones Saying It
A major new poll shows:
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80% of Britons believe the country is divided
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Nostalgia has surged across ALL age groups
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Even one-third of 16–24-year-olds want Britain to be “how it used to be”
As Queenie, Alec and Paul speak out, it’s clear their words resonate far beyond their generation.
They are not political.
They are not hateful.
They are not bitter.
They are heartbroken.
They fought for a Britain they believed in.
They buried friends who never came home.
They endured hardship and sacrifice most of us cannot imagine.
And now, in their final years, they are asking a painful question:
Was it all for nothing?
A Final Plea From the Greatest Generation
Queenie says it simply:
“War is children fighting over someone else’s teddy. And young men are sacrificed for it.”
Alec says:
“There are no leaders today. None at all.”
Paul says:
“If everyone were as kind as hospital workers, we wouldn’t have hatred or racism.”
Their message is not despair — but warning.
A plea.
A reminder.
A final gift from the generation that saved Britain once before.
Because if anyone knows what it takes to rebuild a country…
it’s them.
