Muriel Warwick, from Wash Common in Newbury, celebrates her 100th birthday

A woman who has lived almost her entire life in Wash Common has celebrated her 100th birthday.

Getrude Warwick, known to everyone by her middle name Muriel, reached the centenary milestone on February 22, and up until May last year she was still walking to the shop every day from her home in Battery End.

Now a resident at Notrees Care Home in Kintbury, Mrs Warwick was presented with her birthday card from the King and Queen by Newbury mayor Nigel Foot at a special birthday celebration on Saturday, February 24.

Mrs Warwick’s daughter-in-law Jill Warwick said: “She seemed to have really enjoyed it.”

Mrs Warwick was born in 1924 at 202 Andover Road, a cottage opposite Park House School.

She became a typist after leaving school at 14.

When the Second World War broke out, she was asked whether she wanted to work on the land or in a factory when contributing to the war effort.

Mrs Warwick chose to work indoors for the warmth, and so began employment at Elliotts, the Newbury-based manufacturer that produced components for all types of aircraft throughout the war.

She mainly made wooden cases that stored ammunition within the planes. She worked at Elliotts for around three years.

After the war, she returned to her job as a typist and in 1954, she met her future husband Stan.

He had served as a dispatch rider for the Royal Corps of Signals in Damascus. He died in 1993.