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Somerset County Herald and Taunton Courier. Saturday 26 Mar 1960
Page 1 Column 7
102 This Week
Bridgwater Man's Birthday
An active interest in current affairs is taken by Mr. William Alfred FRANCIS, of Kendale Road, Bridgwater, who celebrated his 102nd birthday at Northgate Lodge on Thursday. Hard work and plenty of fresh air is the recipe for a long life, says the town's oldest inhabitant, who can still read without the aid of glasses.
His son, Mr. Alfred FRANCIS, with whom he had lived at 103, Kendale Road, for some years, died during the past year.
Mr. FRANCIS, senr., was born near High Wycombe and went to live at Exeter at the age of ten. He suffered a finger injury while at work in a paper mill at Stoke Canon,after which he took up gardening for a living. For 38 years he was second gardener at a mental hospital at Exeter.
In Air Raid
During an air-raid on Exeter in 1942 his wife was killed, but Mr. FRANCIS survived, although buried under the debris of his home for five hours. After a prolonged period of convalescence in hospitals at Exeter, Plymouth and Newquay, he went to live with his son and daughter-in-law at Bridgwater
Until the age of 99 he had never missed an election since he had first voted 77 years beforehand. When in his 100th year he walked from his home at Kendale Road to the polling station at St. George's Hall.