Littlehampton’s newest centenarian still feeling as young as ever

The great-grandmother, who was born in Falkirk, Scotland, on March 28, 1912, has lived through two world wars, seen man land on the moon and even mingled with royalty.

Last Saturday, the active centenarian hosted an extravagant party at the Regency Court Nursing Centre, in South Terrace, Littlehampton, with her family, friends and Littlehampton mayor Alan Gammon.

Staff at the centre, where Eleanor is a resident, said she was bright and cheerful, adding that she was “quite a character”.

She married her husband, George, on April 1, 1939, and said that their anniversary was always a “hoot” as it fell on April Fool’s Day.

During the Second World War, she was one of the countless thousands of women, across the country, working to keep Britain’s war effort afloat, spending several years working in an aircraft factory in Woodley, Berkshire.

Eleanor and George spent a few years living in London before moving down to Littlehampton, in 1954, where she worked as a legal secretary in the town, for more than 30 years, until she retired at the age of 75.

Her last job was with the Neville West accountancy firm, in Beach Road. George died in 1985. Eleanor said that to keep herself busy she became a volunteer at the Tamarisk Centre, in Beach Road, in 1987, where she remained until 2002. She has a daughter, Odette, a grandson and great-grandson.

In 1994 she moved from her home in South Terrace, to Mountbatten Court, before later settling at Regency Court.

In April, 2010 she met Princess Anne at the Chichester County Hall offices where the she presented the royal with a bouquet of flowers.

Janet Gordon, of Regency Court, said: “Eleanor always tries to join in with activities at the home and loves the outings. She loves watching sport, especially tennis and golf and her two favourite television programmes are Countdown and Strictly Come Dancing.”