Ada Cook, a 105-year-old resident of Alexandra House Care Home in Harlow, celebrated her birthday with a Cockney-themed party that brought together family, fellow residents and staff.
The event featured a live singer and a display of photographs from Ms. Cook’s younger years, and guests joined in reminiscences about life in London before and during the Second World War. Her son, Paul, praised the care home for organising "such a wonderful" birthday.
Born in London, Ms. Cook moved to Epping in Essex during the war and worked at the Waltham Abbey gunpowder mills, where she helped produce munitions. Staff at Alexandra House said she disliked air raid shelters and would sometimes refuse to use them even when bombs were landing nearby. She moved into Alexandra House in 2018.
Staff said the milestone was made more special by a congratulatory card from King Charles III, which Ms. Cook described as a proud moment. The care home's deputy manager, Judith Buenafe, paid tribute to Ms. Cook's personality and influence on staff, saying she made them "laugh" and helped them "grow professionally."
Residents and staff said Ms. Cook remained active in community life well into later years, continuing in her 90s to do decorations for local events. The care home said the celebration was intended to reflect her lively spirit and to provide an opportunity for those who know her to share memories and celebrate a long life that spans both wartime service and decades of community involvement.
The party at Alexandra House followed a pattern of centenary celebrations increasingly observed in care settings, where themed events and family gatherings mark longevity milestones. For Ms. Cook, the day combined music, photographs and personal tributes to commemorate more than a century of life shaped by wartime work, family and community contribution.