A resident at Royal Star & Garter in Surbiton has marked her 100th birthday.
Maureen Smith enjoyed a party with family, friends and other residents at the Home when she celebrated hitting triple figures on Wednesday 17 September.
Maureen was born in Hampshire on 17 September 1925 but moved to Tolworth at the age of eight and spent the rest of her life living in the area. In 1941, at the age of 15, she went to work at the Hawker factory in Kingston, which helped design and build the iconic Hurricane aircraft that played a crucial role in the Battle of Britain. She often jokes:
“The Hurricane won the war, not the Spitfire!”
During the war she would write letters to boyfriend Colin, who was serving in the Royal Signals. The couple married after the conflict, and their son Quentin still has copies of the letters his parents wrote to each other.
Maureen worked at Hawker’s until 1953, before becoming a full-time mum. She later worked for the Inland Revenue in Hinchley Wood and New Malden.
On her landmark birthday, Maureen enjoyed a lunch at Royal Star & Garter with Quentin, his wife Christine and Maureen’s niece, Jacqui, before friends joined her for live music entertainment from piano and singer duo The Totties. That was followed by tea with birthday cakes and sparkling wine for residents and guests.
Afterwards, Maureen said:
“I’ve had a fantastic day. I had a lovely lunch with my family and thoroughly enjoyed the party. I thought everyone put in a good effort.”
Quentin added:
“We’ve had a wonderful day celebrating Mum’s birthday at Royal Star & Garter. Staff have pulled out all the stops for her, and it’s been truly memorable.”
Royal Star & Garter provides loving, compassionate care and support for veterans and their families, living with disability or dementia, through its Homes in Solihull, Surbiton, High Wycombe and Worthing. The charity also provides services reaching into the community, including Lunch Clubs, Day Care and a national Telephone Friendship Service.
Royal Star & Garter is welcoming new residents to Surbiton, and is hosting open days in October. For more information on this, working at the Home or its other services, go to www.starandgarter.org/surbiton
