FRIENDS and family gathered on Sunday to celebrate the remarkable life of a very special lady who was celebrating her 100th birthday.
Gwen Withers lived on her own in Linslade until 18 months ago when she had a fall and broke her ankle. Since then she has become the life and soul of Westlands nursing home, in Duncombe Drive, Leighton, organising scrabble and card schools and making friends with everyone.
“I certainly don’t feel a hundred,” said Gwen. “If I’m with much younger people I feel as young as them. I can’t believe where all the years have gone.
“When I first came to Westlands it was very quiet. Hardly anyone spoke. I’ve certainly livened it up!”
The bright as a button pensioner was born and raised in north London on January 15, 1912, three months before The Titanic sank and two years before the outbreak of the First World War.
She was one of 11 children and just eight when her mother, aged only 38, died in childbirth. “We were facing being put in a home but my father refused to let us go, said Gwen (who was born Elsie but known throughout her life as Gwen).
Not long afterwards her father re-married and life in the family home became fraught. Conditions deteriorated when her father died aged 44 leaving his young widow to care for the step-children.
“My stepmother was young and she didn’t want to look after us kids. She packed the oldest ones off and she forced me to leave school at 13 to go out to work. I worked in a coffee shop but my step-mother treated me like a little slave.
“I’d start work very early in the morning and then, when I finished at 3pm, she made me join her working at the local pub into the night.
“Shortly after my dad died I learned from an aunt that my stepmother was planning to re-marry. When I asked her about it she threw me out of the house. I was just 14. The people at the pub very very kind and they took me in and later I lived with relatives.”
She met her husband-to-be, Bill, a sailor, when she was egged on by one of her sister’s to touch his collar for good luck.
“He turned around and kissed me! I was so embarrassed.” They started courting shortly after and married in 1938.
Later in their marriage Bill left the navy and worked in engineering while Gwen, who never had any children of her own, continued working, firstly on the production line of a glass factory and later in an engineering company.
“We never had very much but I have really enjoyed my life. I never smoked and rarely drank alcohol. My only regret was that I didn’t have children. I would have loved to have four boys.
“A neice married someone from Leighton Buzzard and we came up to visit in 1982. We fell in love with the town and we thought the air might be better for Bill.
“We moved into a lovely bungalow in Lincombe Slade and we had some wonderful neighbours. Bill died 25 years ago but I stayed in our home.”
Green-fingered Gwen loved her treasured garden and proved a natural in growing a variety of flowers.
“I think the secret of long life is to keep active. I used to do a lot of knitting and sewing for relatives and I used to love gardening and that is the one thing I miss,” said Gwen.
As she got older her friends and neighbours, Gladys and Betty, ensured the pensioner wanted for nothing - even though they were OAPs themselves.
“I broke my ankle and had to move to Westlands. They’re lovely people here but I’m sure that if I hadn’t had the fall then I would have continued to manage on my own,” said the independent Gwen.
On Sunday she was guest of honour at a party arranged by her great neice Maxine. The guests included some of her friends, including Betty, June and Don, relatives Maxine, Paul and Nicola and their families, another great neice Debbie and the newest addition to the family, two-month-old great, great,great nephew James.
There were flowers and gifts plus a birthday card and telegram from The Queen.