FAMILY and friends gathered to celebrate the 100th birthday of a resident at Wessex Care's Kimberly House Nursing Home, celebrated her 100th birthday on Sunday.

Louisa Emma Tyler was born in Stoke Farthing in Salisbury's Chalke Valley in 1914.

Her father was a carter but Mrs Tyler never got to know him as he was killed in the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

The family then moved to West Wellow, a place of which Mrs Tyler has fond memories.

“I still have the candle holder I took to bed each night,” she said. “The only lavatory was outside with a bucket underneath the seat, and this had to be emptied into a hole dug in the garden!”

The family moved to Bromley in Kent and Louisa left school to be a mother's help.

She married Charlie in 1933, when she was 19. Their home in Cheam, Surrey, was bought for £670 and was furnished for £48 9s and 3d.

The couple had three children, Mike, Louise and Ralph, who travelled back from Australia with his wife Jenny to be present for the family celebrations. Mrs Tyler also has seven grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.

She and her husband moved to Coombe Bissett 30 years ago and helped start the village's gardening club, which is still running today.

One of favourite memories is of going to a Buckingham Palace garden party when Charlie was invited due to his work as an auxiliary fireman during the Blitz of London.

She said: “I have so many happy memories, but above all is seeing the family well and happy.”

Throughout her 100 years, Mrs Tyler has always lived by the motto “I may not have had the best but I always made the best of what I had”.