ONE of the longest-serving school governors in the country has been recognised for an astonishing 69 years’ service at a Liverpool primary.

Edward Burke began his service at what is now All Saints Primary school in Anfield in 1941, while working as a fire watchman as German bombers pounded the city.

He fought in the war and was wounded in Italy, but continuously served on the school’s governing body throughout the last seven decades.

Earlier this month he was recognised with a ‘Certificate of Meritorious Service’ by Lord Mayor Cllr Mike Storey.

Mr Burke, 87, served as a Labour councillor on the authority for 30 years, and chronicled his early life in a book called Scotland Road Memories.

Father-of-three and grandfather-of-nine Mr Burke, who has been married to Doreen for 52 years, said education had changed immensely in the time he had been involved with schools around Liverpool.

He added: “In those days teachers did not change schools as often and did not have the same stresses that they have today.

“There’s a lot of extra work they have to do. Then it was just running the football team or the cricket team, but that was voluntary.

“Now, they have all this other stuff to do, and the same goes for school governors as well.”