ALTON man Sidney Mortara celebrated his 104th birthday at the end of October, with family and friends visiting to reflect with him on a long and active life in the town he loves.

Born in 1913, Sidney has lived and worked in Alton for most of his life.

His father, Pasquale Luigi Mortara – a chef – came to England from northern Italy sometime during the first two years of the last century to work first at the Florence Hotel in London and then at the George Hotel in Winchester, where he met his future wife. The couple moved to Alton in February 1913 and took over a fish and chip shop at 68 High Street, and later a second one on Normandy Street.

The Mortaras had five children, Sidney being the third.

By 1933, they had increased their High Street business to take in fresh fish, game and poultry, moving away from fish and chips, and enlarging the shop to become one of the most modern business premises in the town.

During his childhood, Sidney would have accompanied his parents as they went into the hop gardens during picking time, selling bloaters and cold fish and chips and bags of bulls’ eyes, and he remembers playing “taps” with his brother Vincent, on the pavement outside his parents’ shop.

The family always had to work hard and Mr Mortara senior’s advice to his children was “civility costs you nothing”.

Having served with the RAF during the Second World War, while his brother was in the Army, on the death of their father in November 1943 the business passed into the hands of Sidney and Vincent who set about modernising the shop and installing refrigeration cabinets.

Never behind the times, Mortara’s was the first to introduce frozen foods to Alton although, in Sidney’s words, “the introduction (of frozen foods) came at least three years before Alton was ready for it!”.

The business eventually closed, after 60 years trading on the High Street, at the same time as the Suntara Luxury Boarding Cattery in Old Odiham Road, owned by Sidney and his wife, Mary, allowing the couple to retire and pursue other interests which, according to son Clive, for Sidney meant chairing the Cage Bird Society, the Honey and Bee Keeping Society, and the Alton Motor Bike Club, as well as membership of the Rabbit Club.