Rustington’s Elizabeth delighted by Queen’s birthday message

Elizabeth Fields has been a resident at the village’s Fairlight Nursing Home, in Worthing Road, for about three years and marked her triple-figure celebration at the centre on Friday (February 20).

She enjoyed her big birthday bash with her brother David, friends, and staff members. An ecstatic Elizabeth also received a congratulatory message from another Elizabeth – Queen Elizabeth II to be exact.

“Elizabeth was very pleased to receive a card from the Queen and loved opening her presents,” said Ann Hodgson, of the nursing home.

Elizabeth was born in Burton-on-Trent on February 20, 1915.

After finishing school, she began a career as a nurse, eventually reaching the position of ward sister.

She later retrained as a radiologist and worked at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, before moving to London.

She lived in the capital as the bombs from the Luftwaffe were dropping on it, during the Second World War.

Later in life, Elizabeth took her skills as a radiologist to Libya to help needy citizens there.

After completing her work in the African country, she decided to return home.

However, she refused to take the easy route back – she instead drove thousands of miles, in her Ford Consul, through the Middle East and Europe on the way to London.

Elizabeth stayed in the capital and worked in the publishing industry before retiring to Worthing.

She never married and has no children.