TO get one birthday card from the Queen, when she was a 100, was “very exciting”, but Alton woman Peggy Williams has gone one better and when she turned 105 she got her second Royal congratulations.

And on March 24, surrounded by her family who included her daughter Gill Harrower and son-in-law Jim, and grandchildren and great grandchildren, Peggy cut a special birthday cake bearing the number 105 while the youngest grand children presented her with a card they had made for her with painted hand prints which now takes pride of place alongside the one from the Queen, plus the ones she received from her many friends.

Peggy is one of Alton’s oldest residents but she was born in Surbiton, Surrey, in 1912 and her father worked in Covent Garden.

Both she and her sister were sent to boarding school. “We didn’t like it but I did enjoy doing gym and sports like hockey and tennis,” she said.

And speaking of leaving school, she said: “I wanted to be a hairdresser, but I had to go to secretarial college as you did as you were told in those days.”

At 17, Peggy worked for the aircraft firm Vickers Armstrong, who were later to make tanks and bombers during the Second World War, and at weekends she loved to go dancing.

She married John in 1936 and they were wed for 58 years. “I became a housewife as once you married you had to leave your job in those days,” she said.

At the outbreak of war, John joined the Army and saw action in North Africa and Peggy went back to live with her parents and remembers helping to build an air-raid shelter in the garden.

After the war, the couple moved to Pinner in Middlesex. Their daughter, Gill, was born and the family moved again to Tolworth.

Later, she and John opened a greengrocers in Worthing.

“We were near the sea and it was a busy and happy time. I used to sit at the desk in the shop and take the money.”

One of her happiest moments was when her daughter, at age 41, gave birth to twins, a boy and girl. Recalling that time, Peggy said: “I never thought I would be a grandmother.” Now she has four great grandchildren.

On retirement, Peggy and John decided to move nearer to Gill and her husband and bought a flat in Ladyplace, Alton, but John died four years later.

“At least he had four years in Alton” said Peggy. “And I have been very happy here and have nice friends and I love being with my family. I don’t feel 105.”

During her lifetime, Peggy has seen incredible advances in travel, education, medicine and technology and admits she enjoys television.

“Best of all, I love watching sports programmes,” she said.