Sutton care home resident marks 102nd birthday with RAF tribute

There was plenty of cheer at a care home in Sutton as one resident celebrated her 102nd birthday in patriotic style.

Gladys Gooch, who lives at Care UK’s Tennyson Grange on Westmead Road, marked the next milestone of her centenarian status with family at a lively afternoon tea complete with a homemade birthday cake, and a celebratory toast. 

She even received a special visit from the Royal British Legion, who presented her with a commemorative RAF wreath in honour of her wartime service.

Born in Merton and growing up in south London, Gladys had her first experience of the RAF while volunteering during the second world war.

“I liked the colour of the uniform, so I decided to join!” she said. 

After enlisting, she completed her training in Gloucester, where she remembers doing nothing but marching. Gladys was then transferred to Newcastle in 1943, with her first role working inside barrage balloons used to disrupt enemy aircraft. She remembers having to crawl through a tiny access point to clean and repair the balloons. 

Gladys said: “There was a mixture of men and women doing the job, and we had so much fun being inside laughing and joking around.”

She later trained as a military driver and was assigned a 3‑ton Albion 684 lorry – a vehicle so large it had been abandoned in a field because no one else wanted to drive it.

“I nearly died when I saw it!” Gladys said. “I told them ‘I don’t want that’, which you aren't supposed to say in the forces. But I grew to love that lorry. 

“I got used to the gears and I loved being in it all on my own going backwards and forwards collecting pilots and taking them to their digs or to the airfield.” 

After the war in 1946, Gladys met her husband Ronald Gooch, an RAF mechanic who worked on Spitfires and served with the legendary 617 ‘Dambusters’ Squadron. The pair met at a dance at Wimbledon Town Hall and the couple settled in Merton, where they started a family and raised son John.  

Gladys later worked at the International Model Aircraft factory and Merton Board Mills, and she and Ron became active members of the Worcester Park branch of the Royal British Legion for more than 30 years, attending every Friday and sometimes twice a week.

Reflecting on her long life, Gladys said: “It’s just your luck. You work hard, have fun and keep busy.”

Harriet Mensah-Mandley, Home Manager at Tennyson Grange, said: “It was a real honour to celebrate Gladys’s 102nd birthday. 

“She is an extraordinary woman who has lived an extraordinary life, and it was wonderful to see her surrounded by loved ones as we marked this special occasion. 

“The RAF wreath presentation was a lovely tribute, and we are grateful to the Royal British Legion for helping to make the day so memorable.”

Designed to enable residents to lead active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Tennyson Grange incorporates plenty of space for hobby and leisure activities. The layout of the home has been configured to facilitate the creation of close-knit communities and encourage social interaction among the residents, and it has its very own cinema, hair and beauty salon and café.