A TAVISTOCK woman recently celebrated her 100th birthday at Venn House in Lamerton. Elizabeth Loades enjoyed her birthday with all her family ? her daughter June Warren, three grand-daughters, their husbands and seven great-grandchildren. She was born in London and was brought up at Abbot?s Langley in Hertfordshire. She met her husband, William George, when he was on leave from the Gloucestershire Regiment after serving five years in India. They became engaged and planned to marry on his next home leave. But on returning to India he wrote and asked if she would go to India to be married. She agreed and they married in Bombay. Their first home was in Mhow, Central India, where their first son was born but sadly died. When the regiment moved on to Madras, South India, Mrs Loades gave birth to her daughter. When war was declared Mr Loades? battalion went to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force and was eventually part of the rearguard action at Dunkirk, where he was captured. He remained a prisoner of war for the next five years, coming home on VE day. Mrs Loades and her daughter lived in Stratford-on-Avon for most of the second world war and eventually settled in Southampton before the end of the war. In 1982 Mr and Mrs Loades moved from Southampton to be near their daughter, who lives in Whitchurch. They had been married for almost 56 years when Mr Loades died in 1989. Mrs Loades continued to live independently at Friars Walk in Whitchurch until her 98th birthday. She is now happily settled at Venn House and enjoys reading, card games, scrabble and knitting ? she has knitted countless blankets for Save the Children, Oxfam and is now knitting for Operation Sunshine.
