A REMARKABLE woman, who has lived through two world wars, has celebrated her 105th birthday.
Gladys Harrison lives in Chester’s Garden Quarter and despite hitting one century five years ago, still knits clothes for premature babies and attends Garden Lane Methodist Church.
Born Gladys Rogers on March 25, 1906, she is the youngest of eight children from Greasby on the Wirral.
She left school at 14 to work at Moreton Post Office, earning six shillings a week.
She said: “I had to give four shillings home for house keeping which left me with two shillings to spend.”
At 21, Gladys moved to Liverpool to live with her older sister and worked for her brother’s building firm.
“I also trained as a dressmaker,” said Gladys, who worked for Johnson’s dye-works during the first part of the Second World War, doing alterations.
Gladys married Harry Reginald Harrison at Ainsdale Congregational Church in Lancashire on August 22 1953 and they settled in Chester.
“I made my own wedding dress and my bridesmaids’ dresses including the one for my little niece, who is now 71!” said Gladys.
Gladys celebrated her special day with visits and good wishes from friends and family including some of her nine nephews and nieces, whom she described as “very precious”.
Yvonne Farrer, who is married to Gladys’ nephew David said: “She's a very remarkable lady with a wonderful sense of humour and fantastic memory.”
