A D-Day veteran has become the world's oldest person to skydive. At the age of 101 and 38 days, Verdun Hayes leaped 15,000 ft from a plane with three generations of his family at an airfield in Honiton, Devon, on Sunday 14 May.

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The previous world record was held by Canadian Armand Gendreau who jumped from a plane in June 2013 at the age of 101 and three days.

As he touched down, the great-grandfather said he was "absolutely over the moon" to have done the parachute jump.

Hayes, who served as a lance corporal in the Royal Corps of Signals, skydived for the first time when he turned 100, becoming the oldest British person to complete the challenge.

Determined to also break the world record, he convinced ten members of his family, including his 74-year-old son, 50-year-old grandson and 16-year-old great-grandson, to jump from a plane with him eighteen months later.

"He's made up his own mind that he wants to do it again, and I am extremely proud of the reasoning behind it," his daughter Lin Tattersall said ahead of the skydive.

Hayes, who received a Legion d'Honneur for his heroic actions during the Second World War, asked people supporting his challenge to donate money to the Royal British Legion via a fundraising page. He has raised more than £2,300 for the charity so far, over double his intended target of £1,000.

A spokesperson for the charity said: "We are very proud of Verdun's achievements and his family's support for the Royal British Legion and the money raised recognises the service and sacrifice made across all generations of the British armed forces."

He was named Verdun as his father, Joseph, who served in the First World War as a sapper with the Royal Engineers and who fought during the Battle of the Somme, wrote home to his pregnant wife, Mary, suggesting they call their child Verdun after the 1916 battle.