George Boag-Munroe, 98, proudly displays his medals at last year's Remembrance Service at St George's Plateau, Liverpool. Photograph Geoff Davies
A 98-year-old war veteran who came down with coronavirus amazed hospital staff with the speed of his recovery from the potentially deadly disease.
The family of George Boag-Munroe feared the worst when he tested positive for Covid-19 while being treated for pneumonia at Aintree Hospital.
If that wasn't enough, only a few days before he had suffered a significant fall at home, injuring his head and splitting his elbow open.
But after two weeks in hospital, George, who was a Far Eastern prisoner-of-war during World War Two, was declared well enough to return home by doctors.
Proud grand-daughter Alison said: "The nursing staff were amazed he recovered so quickly.
"Even before he was discharged, he was dressed and up and about. At one point he was mistaken for a visitor who had made it to the ward!
"He is still suffering slightly from his head injury and doesn't understand the full impact of the virus that he has recovered from.
"He is unsure what the fuss is about and I don't think he realises the severity of it."
George, who will be 99 in November, grew up in Anfield and worked as a bike messenger around Liverpool before being conscripted into the Royal Army Ordinance Corps in 1939.
His amazing wartime record includes being taken prisoner by the Japanese in February 1942 after travelling to Singapore, and being held in prisoner of war camps both there and in Thailand.
He worked on the infamous Burma Railway, and suffered from many tropical diseases including malaria, beri beri, tropical ulcers and cholera.
George only narrowly avoided being in Nagasaki when the US dropped the atomic bomb on the city because the boat that was taking him there was torpedoed and sunk. He was taken back to Thailand instead.
Because of his long captivity, he'd been feared dead by his family back home in Liverpool. Once he returned home, he said he had no desire to travel again and only wanted to see Liverpool win the Northern League Cup that year.
George is typically modest about his wartime experiences and still attends St George's Hall Service of Remembrance every year on Remembrance Sunday. He was the front page image for the ECHO's coverage of the ceremony last year
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