A 94-year-old decorated war veteran is set to bid farewell to Droitwich after three decades living in the town.

Born in Poland, Alek Markowski served in Iraq and Palestine with the Polish 2nd Corp of the British 8th Division during the Second World War and was honoured for bravery.

Since moving to Droitwich 31 years ago, he has become a valued member of the community and plays an active role at the Sacred Heart Church on Worcester Road.

John Pilley, a close friend of Mr Markowski's, said: "He is quite a wonderful person. He is well known in the parish and still contributes to parish life."

His many friends will join him on Saturday, November 14 to wish him luck on his return to Poland where he will be close to family, after his wife Tosia died earlier this year.

Me Pilley continued: "He is what you would call old school. If you say something he does it, he will do things correctly. His sense of humour is wicked, even at 94, and he is very deadpan.

"He is going to leave a bit of a hole in the parish."

After serving in the war, Mr Markowski lived in Italy before making his way to England where he set up home in Birmingham with his first wife, Evelyn.

He lived with his second wife Tosia in Droitwich for 31 years, but will now move to Gdansk, close to where he was born in 1921.

In his memoirs, Mr Markowski remembers the outbreak of World War Two in Poland and the harsh treatment of Polish people by Germans and Russians.

He recalls being forced to serve in the German army, before he was taken prisoner by two Australian soldiers in 1942. He was then offered the chance to sign up with the Polish army and rose to the rank of Corporal.

His diaries remember witnessing the bloodshed of war, detailing his time serving in Italy, Israel and Iraq and the end of the war in 1945.