FAMILY and friends joined Olive Savage at her home in Hakin yesterday (Wednesday) to celebrate her 102nd birthday.


Mrs Savage was born in Birmingham on January 21, 1913 but left the city for Worcestershire during the early part of the First World War.


She married her late husband Harold in 1940 and worked as a private secretary to a Lord Mayor. She recalled having to inform Buckingham Palace about the death of composer Sir Edward Elgar as being one of her secretarial duties.


Her other memories include seeing the men light the gas street lights at dusk and living near the Corsham bunker where "secret work" went on during the Second World War. "It was a vast underground factory," she said.


Harold’s work led the couple to Pembrokeshire in 1950, where they had homes in Milford Haven, before moving to Solva in 1962. In later years they ran a guest house in the harbour village.

Following Harold’s death in 2002, Mrs Savage moved to Pointsfield Crescent, Hakin to be closer to her son.


She said her family mean the world to her. She has three children, six grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.


Mrs Savage said: “I like to potter about. I do most of my own housework.
"I also enjoy looking into my family history and watching the Antiques Roadshow."


Mrs Savage received flowers and cards from friends, family, her care company and doctors surgery and was looking forward to a slice of birthday cake, made by her daughter.
“I want to thank everyone who’s been so kind to me,” she said.


Her son Stewart said: “Mum is very switched on about most things; so you can’t get away with much. She's got her own points of view and likes to put them across."