An "extraordinary" woman who served in the RAF during the Second World War was presented with a special wreath on her 102nd birthday.
Gladys Gooch, a resident at Care UK’s Tennyson Grange on Westmead Road in Sutton, celebrated the occasion in patriotic style with an afternoon tea, homemade cake, a celebratory toast.
She also had a visit from the Royal British Legion, who presented her with a commemorative RAF wreath in honour of her wartime service.
Born in Merton and raised in south London, Mrs Gooch joined the RAF during the war, initially drawn in by the look of the uniform.
After enlisting, she completed her training in Gloucester, where she remembers doing nothing but marching.
Transferred to Newcastle in 1943, her first role was 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 three‑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.
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“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, Mrs Gooch met her husband, Ronald Gooch, in 1946.
Mr Gooch was an RAF mechanic who worked on Spitfires and served with the legendary 617 ‘Dambusters’ Squadron.
The couple met at a dance at Wimbledon Town Hall and later settled in Merton, where they raised their son, John.
Mrs Gooch worked at the International Model Aircraft factory and Merton Board Mills, and she and her husband were active members of the Worcester Park branch of the Royal British Legion for more than 30 years.
Reflecting on her long life, she 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."
Tennyson Grange is designed to enable residents to lead active and fulfilling lives, promoting independence while offering space for hobbies and social interaction.
