Five generations join Milton Keynes birthday girl Florence to mark her 103rd birthday

Florence, a resident at Caton Residential Home, is pictured with son, Alan, grandson Anthony, great granddaughter, Claudia, and great great grandson Emiliano.

Florence was born on January 15, 1915, in Southsea, Portsmouth and in 1937 married her childhood sweetheart, William who was in the RAF.

The couple spent two years overseas including being stationed in Singapore and Aden. When Will was stationed in Mesopotamia (now Iraq), Greece and Western Desert during the Second World War, Florence returned to live with her parents in Portsmouth.

And when Will retired from the RAF in 1968, he and Florence bought their first house in Linslade before moving to Oldbrook where she lived until moving to Bletchley.

In her early life Florence was post mistress at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, where via telegrams, she became aware of the romance between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip but was sworn to secrecy before the couple’s engagement was announced.

Throughout her life Florence has been involved in various voluntary roles, including the Women’s Voluntary Service.