09/11/2025
A 100-year-old World War II veteran left Good Morning Britain viewers speechless today after declaring that winning the war “wasn’t worth it”, blaming the country’s current state for shattering the ideals he and his comrades fought for.
Appearing on the ITV show alongside hosts Adil Ray and Kate Garraway, Alec Penstone, a former Royal Navy serviceman, recalled the moment he left his factory job as a teenager to fight for freedom — a decision that cost many of his friends their lives.
“I was just one of the lucky ones,” he said quietly. But when Garraway asked what Remembrance Sunday means to him now, the centenarian’s answer stunned both presenters:
“I can still see those rows of white stones — hundreds of my friends who gave their lives. For what? The country of today? No. I’m sorry, but the sacrifice wasn’t worth what we’ve become.”
