A FORMER surveyor with Okehampton Town Council celebrated his 104th birthday on Monday with a special dinner in his honour at his retirement home at Bridestowe.

Although born in Putney in London in 1906 Herbert Sampson moved with his family to Devon and lived in Bondleigh until his father built Wildridge in North Tawton.

In his book of 'Memoirs' Herbert remembers that the present town hall in the early 1900s was formally the market hall, which was paved with cobbles and had market stalls around the sides, selling eggs, poultry and home produce.

He said:?'North Tawton has changed so much. There were five butchers' shops, three bakers, three or four blacksmiths, five grocers, shops, as well as saddlers, wheelwrights, cartwrights and other small industries.'

Herbert went to school at Hele's School, Exeter when he was ten with sisters Marjorie and Nancy and elder brother Harold, starting at the same time. During the first world war he remembered seeing a German Zeppelin.

At school he met his future wife, Irene Hawkins, known as Rene. The couple married on October 8, 1935, with Rene's brother Clifford, a Methodist minister, taking the service at the old Methodist Church in Okehampton.

During the second world war, Herbert became a lieutenant in the Royal Engineers in India.

He later went to work with Okehampton Town Council as a surveyor.

Fifty years after his wedding he took Rene to see the church and he noticed how things had changed. Herbert asked the workmen present if they could have a look inside — he was told he was just in time because the following day it was being demolished!

Herbert loved driving his car and often drove down with Rene to have lunch with his second cousins John and Dorothy Sampson in Bodmin.

Dot said: He drove his car until he was 95 years-old and was an excellent driver but had cataracts forming on his eyes, so for safety's sake he sold the car.'

Dot said Herbert is very happy at Springfield but misses Rene terribly — she died aged 99.

Although his eyesight has gone, Herbert enjoys Dot and John reading a chapter of his 'Memoirs'.

He certainly retains his sense of humour — when the surgeon told him he had to remove a large part of his colon Herbert replied: 'I suppose now I will have a semi-colon!'

To celebrate his 104th birthday John and Dorothy are doing a special 'Meals on Wheels' service for him, sharing it with his special friends Jack and Kennedy Gregory and Dr Jean Shields.