Halesowen's Horace celebrates upcoming 105th birthday!

Horace Green will be 105 on Christmas Day but had a party at Gower Gardens care home in Kent Road as his son Steve was visiting from his home in Austria.

Horace puts his grand age down to genes and luck. His brother was 101 when he died and one sister is now 99.

The 104-year-old was called up aged 21 and joined the Royal Berkshire Regiment (East), later transferring to the East Anglian Regiment.

He was invalided out of the army due to suffering from pneumonia and pleurisy - shortly after his regiment sailed to Singapore and upon the Japanese invasion were sent to work on the infamous Death Railway. Only two returned.

Horace was born at 27, Holt Road, Blackheath, one of seven children living in a three-bedroom terrace.

His father ran stalls on Blackheath, Cradley and Halesowen markets and Horace said that there were always big barrels of wine gum sweets, to be sold on the market stalls, which all the children used to pinch on the way to school.

At age 16 Horace started work as a trainee carpenter at Jackson’s Builders, Causeway Green, Oldbury. The apprenticeship cost his father £100, equivalent to £5,000 in current money.

During his army career he was a chauffeur to the Principal Field Marshall in the North-East and drove him about in a large Humber car – “a very good posting”, he said!

He married sweetheart Dulcie Parkes at Birmingham Road Methodist Chapel, Blackheath, in September 1942.

Howard and wife Dulcie (Image: Handout)

Horace and Dulcie bought a wool shop on Long Lane, Shell Corner, later buying a cafe in Sheepcote Street just off Broad Street in Birmingham.

They later moved to a cafe on the Bristol Road in Northfield which had a bakery and served the workers at the Austin plant at Longbridge just down the road.

Horace got a job working for the City of Birmingham's catering department where he catered for Civic functions and Royal Visits, he met the Queen and Queen Mother on a number of occasions.

Horace Green enjoying his party (Image: Handout)

During his time with the council he and Dulcie purchased a food and delicatessen’s shop in Barmouth, North Wales.

Dulcie ran the shop during the week and Horace set off from Birmingham on Friday nights to drive to Barmouth, worked the weekend there and travelled to the council office in Birmingham for 9am.

The care home’s kitchen assistant Megan Osborne made Horace this lovely cake (Image: Handout)

They sold that shop in 1973 and Horace continued to work for the council, until retirement aged 63 in 1981.

He has been in Masonry for over 60 years, having been Worshipful Master three times in Wernlegh Abbey Lodge Number 6356 in Halesowen.

His wife Dulcie died 25 years ago after he had looked after her for years following her diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease.

Despite his years Horace walks unaided and doesn't take any medication. He is also known for his healthy appetite.