Cris Campos - War Veteran

Cristobal Campos is 96. As a teenager he fled his native Spain by joining a British Merchant ship in Gibraltar to escape from the Civil War. He eventually wound up in South Shields, the area where he has lived ever since. During World War 2 as a merchant seaman he served on the Arctic Convoys to Russia and later he was in Burma. His medals include both the Arctic Convoys and the Burma Star.
I photographed him a few days ago at his home in South Tyneside as part of an on going project by Durham Photographic Society to portray surviving WW11 heroes.
I discovered his life story has been just as eventual since the war. He became a British citizen in 1948, married and brought up a family, and worked on the railways among other jobs.
He had been a keen boxer in his youth and had the war not cancelled the 1940 Olympics he would have been there to represent his country.
Always a fitness enthusiast he boxed, cycled, did martial arts, ran and swam. He's a 4th Dan at Tai Kwan Do, ran in eight Great North Runs, the last one at the age of 86, and until recently went to the gym daily and he still goes on his exercise bike and pummels a punch bag.
I enjoyed chatting to him and his son Mike, as well as taking his photo.
K3+DA*16-50mm lens handheld. Natural window light.