IT is Worcestershire’s answer to the Hollywood blockbuster Saving Private Ryan but with a much happier ending – the miraculous story of five county brothers who beat the odds to survive the Second World War.

The brothers, all in their 90s and still going strong, say it is a miracle they all came home at all to tell the tale of their adventures to their children and grandchildren.

Between them they dodged shells and mortars, captured German soldiers, met Mussolini's daughter, shook hands with a high ranking Soviet military officer, were entertained by the Pope

and rubbed shoulders with a Maharaja in an India on the edge of independence in the last days of empire.

The Worcestershire brothers who all came home are Paul Clarke, aged 92, of Martin Hussingtree, near Worcester, Anthony "Tony" Clarke, aged 90, of Merton Close, Kidderminster, Herbert Clarke, aged 99, of Bewdley, Tom Clarke, aged 97, of Bewdley and Peter Clarke, aged 95, of Droitwich.

Tony said: “We’re five brothers over 90 who all went into the services and all came home safely despite our involvement with the war.

“Even going across you wondered if your boat might be torpedoed. My mother’s last words to me as I was leaving were ‘I hope you all come back’.

“I think it’s a miracle we all came home. My mother was certainly staggered we all did. She was quite tearful when I walked into the house in Birmingham Road, Kidderminster. We all came home at different times.”

Tom entered the RAF at Cranwell and was posted to 605 Auxiliary Bomber Squadron at Castle Bromwich before being posted to 205 Squadron in Singapore as an aircrew radio operator.

In mid 1940 he was posted to a Lysander Squadron in Larisa in Greece on special operations. Later he was in Belgrade in what was then Yugoslavia (now Serbia).

He was taken prisoner by Italian Bersaglieri officers at Kotor on the Adriatic coast, taken to Durazzo and locked up.

He said: “It’s not a place recommended for tourists.”

He was transferred to Tirana in Albania and inspected by the fascist dictator Mussolini’s daughter, Edda Ciano.

When released to the UK he was recalled, serving in Russia and was invited by Marshal Voroshilov (a prominent Soviet military officer in the Stalin era) to attend a May Day military parade in Red Square in Moscow.

He said: “I was the only one to have his hand shaken by the Marshal.”

They had to retreat before the advancing German tanks which were then within 15 miles of the city, falling back east of the Volga near the Urals.

He was subsequently awarded a medal by the USSR thanking him for his participation in the 1941 to 1945 war.

The eldest brother, Herbert, was the only brother to volunteer in 1940, receiving two shillings and half a crown which he gave to his grandson, Alex Jackson, for his 21st birthday.

Herbert volunteered at Dale End in Birmingham and was called up and became a driver, delivering ammunition.

He went first to Staveley for training for a month, delivering ammunition until he joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) and trained to be a radar mechanic.

He put in for commission, becoming an officer, passing out as a second lieutenant.

He was in charge of 90 gunners in Italy during the war, landing in Naples before transferring to his field regiment.

They worked with 25 pounder guns, taking it in turns to be the forward observation officer signalling targets, supporting the infantry. They also picked targets for the planes and he said if they did not choose a target in time the airmen would select their own targets.

In Italy he became an acting captain.

The father of six and grandfather of three said: “The shells and mortars were going over all the time. I had a shell burst just near me. We worked hard all day. You were never off duty. If any of those shells or mortars land on you that’s the end of you.”

He said the men lived in their uniforms in the quads which pulled the guns.

At one point Herbert was involved in the capture of between 300 and 400 German prisoners and said he managed to secure himself a good pair of binoculars. At one time he even commandeered a German motorbike.

He said: “Some of the Germans were only about 17 years old and they were crying. They were just youngsters.

“I saw people blown to pieces. It was terrible at the time but it all flows away from you. I did have terrible days.”

He still remembers when his colonel announced the war was over. However, he remained in Bari, Italy, working as a railway transport officer.

He was having such a good time in Italy he remained there for six months “gallivanting”, visiting Venice and Rome where he met the Pope in the Vatican City.

Herbert, who was married for 69 years before his wife Mary died, said he had not thought too much about it being the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

He said: “I was a small cog in a very big wheel.”

Tony Clarke joined the Royal Air Force in 1944. He was initially called up as a Bevin Boy to work in the mines but he said he complained and he ended up with the RAF in Cardington in Bedfordshire in January, 1944.

Tony, who ended up a sergeant, became involved in stores and equipment and was sent to India towards the end of 1944, arriving in Bombay and spending time in Calcutta and New Delhi supplying military materials for the fight against the Japanese in Burma.

He was sent to meet the Maharaja of Udaipur at his palace and spent some time at one of his guest houses.

Tony said: “I don’t know why they picked me to meet this man. My commanding officer just said ‘you’re off to meet the Maharaja of Udaipur, you’re going to spend two or three weeks up there’.

He said in 1946 the political situation in India was starting to get ‘uncomfortable’ and he felt the people would be glad to see the back of the British. There had also been some rioting.

He said: “I saw several lots of rioting. If you have 1,000 Indians and they decide to charge you don’t stand any chance at all.”

Indian officers would empty the carriages of a train so they could have a seat. He said: “They kicked them out to let us in. It was awful. It made me feel so guilty. All that bowing and scraping was not good at all.”

Because the population knew they were guests of the Maharaja the people in the shops refused to take their money. Once they would not commence showing a film in the cinema until Tony arrived.

They were transported in the Maharaja’s carriage which meant everyone knew they were his guests.

Paul was a lieutenant with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), based in Egypt towards the end of the war.

Peter was a warrant officer in Italy at general headquarters after he was posted to the tank department in Chilwell, Nottingham with the Royal Ordnance Corps.

All the brothers attended Sebright School in Wolverley.

They had another brother, Ken, who died in 1982 who had served in Burma.

There were originally 10 children including John Clarke who died in the 1960s following complications with rheumatic fever.

They all lived at Avenue House, Birmingham Road, Kidderminster.

There were also three sisters - twins Barbara and Hester who died and the youngest Rachel Hill who is now in her late 80s.