Banbury war hero celebrates her 100th birthday in style with a champagne reception

Banbury care home resident celebrates her 100th birthday with friends and family.

Doreen Loxton from the Glebefields Care Home celebrated her landmark birthday with a champagne reception, a special cake made by the home’s chef, and a telegram from King Charles to mark the special occasion.

Doreen, who was originally born in Hertfordshire, enjoyed a number of careers, including working for the Bank of England in London and as a radio mechanic for the Women’s Royal Naval Service in Somerset, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

To adjust the radios when working for the Women’s Royal Naval Service, Doreen had to lie in the body of the Spitfires as they were flown to ensure radio frequencies were accurate and reliable. She also flew over the English Channel on aerial photography missions following the D-Day raids in 1944.

Doreen in her younger days working for the Women’s Royal Naval Service where she was a radio mechanic.

Doreen met her husband Brian on an air base in Northern Ireland before returning to England to assist him in the farming industry in Worcestershire and raise their four children.

Doreen’s son Robert said: "Doreen is and has been a fantastic mother, a wonderful farmer’s wife, and a friend to so many over the past hundred years, and it’s wonderful to be with her on this very special day to say just how proud she makes us feel."

Nisha Shaji, general manager of Glebefields, said: "We’re delighted to be celebrating a truly remarkable woman as she reaches this amazing milestone. Doreen is such a popular resident who always has an interesting tale to tell, and we look forward to hearing many more as she breaks into her next century."