Eric planned his worldwide party at 100

He hosted a party for 112 guests at St Peter's community centre last weekend, having organised the entire event himself.

He took care of every detail, from designing invitations on his computer and sending them out, to choosing the silver and purple colour scheme of the table decorations.

Those attending were a mix of relatives, former colleagues, friends and associates from the Bexhill groups Eric has been involved with, such as BATS, the costume museum, and the theatre supporters' club.

He was thrilled with the success of the party and said: "I was most pleased about those people who are still living or working abroad who managed to arrange trips home to include this lunch."

Others came from the Balearics, Spain, Rumania and the States.

A party was also held for him at Peterhouse where staff and residents enjoyed a quiz based on the events of 1905, and he was given his birthday card from the Queen.

Born in London, one of seven children, he left school to join the Daily Mail where he was in the subscription department before moving on to advertising.

When war started he joined the Royal Navy, working in anti-submarine fixed defence.

"After a year as a seaman I was commissioned and sent east - we got as far as Columbo (Sri Lanka). Then I came back to the UK where I joined the Admiralty department, to organise the fixed defence of Antwerp."

Towards the end of the war, the Germans sent a submarine to block the River Scheld, but it was picked up by Eric's outfit and captured.

Fleet Street had lost its attraction by now, so Eric and wife Edith emigrated to Tanzania, where they had a wheat and cattle farm for 27 years.

"We worked hard, we played hard, and occasionally drank hard....It was a good life."

A decision was made for farms to be bought and taken over by local people; Eric was chosen to assist in this process and appointed honorary consul for Northern Tanzania, work for which he later received an MBE.

In 1975, the couple returned to England for good.

"It was necessary to earn a living, so I bought the shop and post office in Hooe where we remained for five years. In 1984 at the age of 79, I retired."

They moved to Peterhouse in 1990.

"A year later it was Edie's great year. She had a big celebration for her 90th birthday in February, then we gave a party in August for our diamond wedding. Unfortunately she was taken ill with cancer, and she died in November."

A stand-out memory of his wife was when they went to Buckingham Palace for his MBE.

"When we went in, she went into the audience chamber and sat down in a chair to watch.

"Afterwards she said "I did a lot better than you, dear. I saw everything, even the dubbing of the knights, while you had to go and join a queue."