Norman Irwin

Norman Irwin was born William Norman Wilson Irwin on 17 November 1918 in the townland of Macleary, near Coleraine in County Londonderry, a few days after the end of the First World War. Ireland had not yet been partitioned, so he was born in Ireland and lived most of his life in what became Northern Ireland. His parents were David Irwin and Annie Irwin (née Pollock). He grew up in the Coleraine area and was always known as Norman rather than William.

Before the Second World War, Norman served an engineering apprenticeship at Moore's Foundry in Coleraine. It gave him the practical metalworking and mechanical skills that later led the army to transfer him to its new engineering corps, and that carried him through a long civilian career as a factory engineer. Details of his schooling have not been made public.

On 4 April 1939, aged 20, Norman volunteered as a gunner with the Coleraine Battery of the Royal Artillery, part of the anti-aircraft volunteers raised in Northern Ireland, where there was no conscription. After a year posted in Aberdeen he went to the Middle East. During the war he served in eight countries, including Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Syria, Palestine and Italy. In Egypt his guns protected the Suez Canal against German aircraft trying to drop mines into it at night. He remembered being strafed by three diving aircraft in the desert, with bullets landing around his feet, and the vast distances of the North African campaign, which he put at 1,500 to 2,000 miles.

When the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) was formed on 1 October 1942, Norman was hand picked for it because of his technical skill, making him one of its founder members. He was mainly attached to the Coldstream Guards, and also to the Irish Guards and Grenadier Guards, and was promoted to sergeant. His release leave certificate, dated 1 October 1946, praised him as "one of the finest all round tradesmen" his officer had known, a class one welder, vehicle mechanic, blacksmith, machinist and electrician.

After leaving the army in October 1946, Norman returned to Coleraine and took a job as an engineer at the Benger's factory site. The plant later became Kerry Foods and then Pickering's Foods, a subsidiary of Heinz. He rose to Engineering Manager and stayed until his retirement, highly regarded for his sector knowledge and expertise. He said that everything he had learned in the forces had an application in industry.

Norman was a founder of several Coleraine organisations. In the early 1960s he helped form the Coleraine Winemakers Club, which held competitions for home made wines from ingredients such as nettles and dandelions. He was one of the founders of Coleraine Rotary Club and the Agivey Anglers Association. In later years he was involved with a cross-community club for retirees, and he took part in many Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council events and mayoral receptions. In 1989, as a member of the Old Comrades Association of the 6th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery Royal Artillery (Supplementary Reserve), he received the Freedom of the Borough from Coleraine Borough Council. In 2018 he donated a 1940s factory time-recording clock to Garvagh Museum.

While posted to Hawick in the Scottish Borders in 1945, Norman met Margaret. They married in 1946 and had four children: David, Elizabeth, Margaret and Joy. His wife Margaret and his daughters Margaret and Joy died before him. By his 100th birthday in 2018 he had five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, and at his death he was also a great-great-grandfather. In his last years he lived at Killowen House and then at The Cottage Care Home in Coleraine. He enjoyed a glass of Bushmills whiskey and credited it, with a smile, for his long life.

Norman summed up his survival in the war with the motto "chance governs all", saying it was down to chance, not luck. He spoke of the end of the war in Europe as a moment of relief rather than jubilation, and of the bravery of friends who never came home. He was modest about praise, saying of people who called him a role model: "I wouldn't put myself in that category." His family said he exemplified the REME motto, Arte et Marte (By Skill and By Fighting). His funeral was held in a Presbyterian church.

Norman was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2025 King's Birthday Honours for voluntary service in Coleraine. At 106 he was the oldest person on that list and one of only three recipients aged 106 in the previous decade. The Princess Royal presented the medal at Hillsborough Castle in September 2025. He also shared the Freedom of the Borough of Coleraine in 1989 through his Old Comrades Association, and in November 2025 the British Army and REME held a special celebration for his 107th birthday, at which the Corps Colonel of REME called him "an absolute legend of the corps".

Norman's milestones drew regular coverage. His surprise 100th birthday party in 2018 was publicised by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council. In May 2025 he gave an interview to BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show for the 80th anniversary of VE Day, and the council filmed an interview with him ahead of its VE Day 80 celebrations. His BEM, his 107th birthday and his death and funeral were reported by BBC News NI, The Independent, RTE, the Belfast Telegraph, the News Letter, Belfast Live and the Coleraine Chronicle.

Norman Irwin was one of the last links to the original REME of 1942 and to the Coleraine volunteers who went to war in 1939. Tributes described him as a "true Coleraine legend", a humble and inspirational man, and a pillar of the community. The Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner said his extraordinary life was defined by "stamina, commitment, dedication and service". The clubs he helped to found, and the stories he told so often of the war and of a long life, are part of his legacy in the town.

Norman Irwin died peacefully at The Cottage Care Home in Coleraine on 2 September 2026, aged 107. A cause of death was not made public. His family announced his death on 3 September. A Service of Thanksgiving, led by Rev Jonny McKane, took place at New Row Presbyterian Church, Coleraine, on 19 September 2026. The REME flag was draped over his coffin, and a standard bearer, guard of honour, bugler and piper took part. He was buried in Coleraine Cemetery. The family asked for donations to the Community Rescue Service.