Lord Harris Court resident and WWII veteran celebrates his 100th birthday

A resident at Lord Harris Court, in Wokingham, who served in The Army during World War Two, has celebrated his 100^th birthday.

Ron Putt, who has lived at the Home since 2019, was delighted to receive a card from HM the Queen.

Kind-hearted staff at the Home were determined that Ron had a day to remember in spite of the pandemic, so they organised a special lunch for him and everyone joined in a prosecco toast and sang happy birthday.

He received lots of presents, cards and a cake made by the Home’s chef. Staff also presented him with a sign post they had made, displaying his life history.

Ron’s family were also able to visit him in the Home’s Covid-secure visitor pod.

Ron was born and raised in Poplar, in London’s East End, on 29 October 1920. He remembers playing football as a boy in the streets around the Docklands area and ice skating at the local rink. As a teenager, he was also an excellent speed skater on his special leather booted, wooden wheeled skates!

In the early days of World War II, Ron and his family were bombed out of their house and went to live with an uncle in Kilburn.

At the age of 20, he was called up for national service and began his military training. Ron worked on a special radar for tracking V1 and V2 bombers. After much activity in France and Germany, he was demobbed at the rank of Sergeant in 1946 with just £39 to show for his time in the Army.

While in the Army, Ron managed to get a seven day pass home to marry Beattie, the love of his life. The couple had two sons, David and Donald. Sadly, Beattie passed away in 2010.

After the war, and a short stint as a butcher, Ron went to work for an engineering company, Lennie and Thorns, for £5 a week! He was promoted through the ranks, eventually becoming a sales manager.

In the 1970s, Ron and Beattie went into business on their own, running The Chelsea Hotel, in Bournemouth, for over a decade, before enjoying a happy retirement together.

Ron is a man of many talents and has always enjoyed making things with hands, such as toys and special gifts for his grandchildren.

He now has three grandchildren and six great grandchildren, who he adores.

Tracey Esteve, Activities Coordinator at Lord Harris Court, said:

It was an honour to celebrate Ron’s 100^th birthday at our Home. He’s a remarkable person and a true gentleman.