By FRANCESCA MOLD
Sidney Hesse is closing in on his 99th New Year's Eve and the rare honour of living in three centuries.
But for the Auckland man who turned 100 yesterday with a sly twinkle in his eye, the end of the millennium will be just another night. Unenthusiastic about celebrations,
he plans to have a quiet night at home with friends.
At a 100th birthday party at his Pt Chevalier rest-home yesterday, Mr Hesse said the secret to his longevity was simply to "keep on breathing".
Birthday celebrations were "a fuss about nothing," although he was pleased to see his family.
Mr Hesse is the last known survivor of a deadly First World War sea battle off the coast of Belgium on April 22 and 23, 1918.
He joined the Royal New Zealand Navy air service at the age of 17 and served on the ship HMS Phobee during the Zeebrugge blockade operation.
Mr Hesse was working on the deck of the destroyer, helping to create a smokescreen to hide the vessel from the enemy, when a shell struck the giant funnel above his head.
He was knocked unconscious by the blast and a piece of shrapnel lodged itself in his lifebelt. Eight other men standing near him died.
Mr Hesse plays down his experience at Flanders, saying, "It was just one of those things." But the true indication of the danger he was in is made clear by a photograph taken not long before the destroyer left for the battle.
The Navy had advised all the soldiers to have their pictures taken because it was unlikely they would return and the photos would be a comfort for families.
About half the 1000 men who took part in the battle died.
When asked what events stood out in his life, he said the most important was his marriage to Janet, who died three years ago after 70 years of wedded bliss.
"If she put up with me for all those years, I must be all right."
