Westcliff woman makes it to 107th birthday and shares advice

Greta Vogel, from Westcliff, turned 107 yesterday, making her one of the oldest living women in the county - and country.

She was joined by her daughter Paulette Martin, 77 and Southend East and Rochford MP Bayo Alaba alongside family to celebrate the momentous milestone.

Born on August 21, 1917, in Bath, Greta worked as an apprentice tailor before being called up for duty in the army at the outbreak of the Second World War.

Celebrating - Greta with her MP Bayo Alaba (Image: Paulette Martin)

She served in the territorial army as part of the auxiliary territorial service. As a despatch rider, which was a motorbike-mounted messenger, Greta would often be sent all over the country.

She said: “The day the war broke out, they fetched me, I got my uniform on, and I was wearing khaki until the day I was logged at the end of the war.

“I have loads of stories from that time, good ones and bad ones, I met my husband during the war and got married and after that I had my daughter. The war was a terrible thing, but we had good times in it as well, wherever we were stationed as women in the army got attached to lots of different regiments, one day I could be south and the next day I was in Scotland.

“I enjoyed my time and I am proud, I got three medals including the war, including the war medal and the territorial medal.”

Veteran - Greta with her medals (Image: Paulette Martin)

After the war Greta got married and lived in Leyton, east London, before moving to Westcliff 15 years ago, after keeping various jobs in factories but “nothing outstanding.”

According to Paulette, Greta’s secret is “she is extremely stubborn”, though Greta’s outlook is more holistic.

Greta said: “The secret is to be happy and enjoy life and enjoy people, don’t argue and quarrel, just try to be good and like everybody.

“Enjoy your life and that is all you can do, some people are very poor and some rich so you live according to what you can do and I have been very lucky. I have a good home and had good parents, I had a good family and good children and I have great-grandchildren now.”

Paulette is Greta’s only child but she has three grandchildren and four great grandchildren, alongside two letters from Queen Elizabeth II and two from King Charles III.