Happy Birthday to Violet, the 105-year-old quiz-loving great-gran from Kettering

Violet Saltmarsh, who lived independently until February this year, says the happiest days of her long life was when her children were young and going for a picnic at the park.

A former nurse, she’s now a resident at The Old Vicarage Care Home in Weekley and admits she would like to be 25 years younger but is still enjoying life.

She said: “I’d like to be 80 again so I could get about more. I’m content. I’ve lived a simple life.”

Born in Glendon, Violet’s family moved several times. After starting school in Rothwell, she was a pupil at Kettering High School before becoming a weekly boarder at a convent in Northampton.

It was there, as well as learning to knit and sew, she was encouraged to go into nursing although she did fancy working in a shop or becoming a domestic science teacher.

In 1938, she was taken on at Manfield Hospital – where Cynthia Spencer Hospice is now located – and worked as an ancillary.

She then moved to Leciester Royal Infirmary, proud to wear her starched uniform and given ‘wonderful’ training to become a State Registered Nurse.

While there during the Second World War, she nursed ‘Bevan Boys’ from the Leicestershire coal mines and greeted injured soldiers sent home from the front.

After the war, in 1946, she moved to back to Northamptonshire first at the Manfield, then to Kettering General Hospital becoming the sister in charge of the A&E department.

It was at a dance organised by head nurse Agnes Jackson who had offered up invitations to ‘suitable young men’ in the area, that Violet met husband Richard in 1950.

Discovering that neither of them could dance, the pair hit it off, chatting by the side. Within the year he asked for her hand in marriage. Although Violet's parents did point out they had another older daughter, he said ‘it’s Violet I want’. Her father gave his consent.

The couple married in St Botolph’s Church in Barton Seagrave. Violet had to give up her nursing job. In 1952 son Richard was born, followed by daughter Kathy two years later.

Using his knowledge of corn sales learnt in pre-partition Punjab securing grain supplies for the troops during the war, husband Richard commuted to London to trade.

Violet and the children took trips out in her car despite her never having to have passed a test.

She said: “I just applied and they sent me one. I never took a test. I never learnt to reverse properly. Richard always said ‘follow your nose home’. I never had an accident.

“We used to go to Wicksteed Park. It was carefree. I got a season ticket for the park.”

Filling her time with some voluntary work for The Red Cross, dressmaking and embroidery, the couple moved to Geddington and then back to Headlands in Kettering.

Retirement saw Richard’s health deteriorate. He died in April 1994.

Violet was busy looking after grandchildren David, Sarah, Felicity, Jonathan and William. She now has eight great-grandchildren.

She said: “It was a simple life. The shops were different. You had to go to separate shops, one for fruit, one for flour, one for sugar. Go to the market for your veg. It took a long time. It was a quiet life.”

Violet is now content watching TV quiz shows and admits to shouting out the answers at the television including Pointless, Tipping Point and The Chase.

She recently enjoyed watching Shrek and Nanny McPhee with her carehome pals.

Her advice for those wanting a long and happy life is to eat healthily and stay off devices.

She said: “Don’t have a laptop or a computer or a smart phone!”

Her family will gather to celebrate but there’s no presents allowed, just perhaps some peaches and cream as a little treat.