Dancing Hilda celebrates 100th birthday

With two daughters, three grandchildren and two great grandchildren, there were plenty on hand to raise a glass at the gathering in Dudley.

Dancing has been at the centre of Hilda's life and perhaps explains how she has reached the impressive milestone.

"Hilda has always been active and was always on the go," said her eldest daughter Dianne.

"This means she has kept physically fit and still is really. She had a little dance at her party.

"She used to spend hours in the garden as well. Those have made up her three passions really - her family, gardening and dancing."

Hilda lives at Foxwood House in Essington but was born in Winson Green, Birmingham. She grew up with her three sisters and two brothers and was a pupil at Foundry Road School.

Her working life was spent in factories - including spells with Joseph Lucas and Kaye Alloy Castings - and it was in the factory she spent the Second World War.

In what is in the year war broke out she married husband Leslie, who died in 2005.

Dianne added: "Dad was away for six years while he was serving and as far as I know, in that time they only saw each other once, when he was on leave.

"She told me she went down to London for a weekend with a little suitcase - but that was it. That was the only time."

In the years following the war Hilda worked in the canteen at Kaye Alloy, where she retired, and moved to live in Walsall in 1958.

With Leslie she celebrated both a 60th and 65th wedding anniversary and was delighted to receive a message from the Queen on both occasions.

"My Dad framed the first two and they had them on the wall," Dianne said. "So I imagine we will be trying to do the same with this one.

"I suppose she has got the hat-rick of cards now."

To mark her birthday she also looked back at some photographs of herself over the years including a fancy dress shot of her dressed up as a milk maid.