During the Second World War, Pat joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), the women’s branch of the British Army and, by the end of the war, she had been made a lieutenant.

After the war ended and the Channel Islands were liberated from German occupation, Pat and her late brother Ron boarded the first boat going across from Plymouth to St Helier. There, they were reunited with their mother and father who they hadn’t seen for six years. Pat’s father had been imprisoned by German soldiers for having a crystal radio hidden at his home.

One of Pat’s joys in life has been her love of travel. She also adores dogs and kept fit for years by walking her beloved Doberman, Tasso.

Pat’s family puts her longevity down to “good genes”, with many of her relatives living into their nineties. She has kept to a healthy lifestyle and has never smoked. But she has enjoyed the occasional glass of her favourite tipple, Guinness.

And the secret to her long life? Pat has told staff: “It’s just one of those things”.

Pat’s milestone age makes her the oldest resident across RMBI Care Co.’s 18 care homes in England and Wales. 

www.rmbi.org.uk