ANGELA

Angela was born in Cannes in 1913. 

When she was just 4 months old, her mother died of pneumonia. Antibiotics hadn't been invented back then, so it was commonplace for people to die of infection at a young age. Her dad paid for a foster mother to look after Angela while he went to work as a waiter.

One of Angela's earliest memories is of the end of WWI. She remembers queuing up for potatoes with her foster mother and seeing all the wounded soldiers lined up on stretchers, waiting to be taken for rehabilitation. 

Her dad got a job as the head waiter at the Hyde Park Hotel, so he and Angela moved from France to London. Angela was sent to live in a convent school in Chelsea. It was run by nuns and was very strict. She would see her dad every weekend and dread Sunday nights because she would have to return to school. It took her only a short time to pick up English. Angela has a knack for languages. She can also speak French, Italian and German.

Angela has done a variety of different jobs. She's been a hotel receptionist, nanny, seamstress, cashier, florist, shorthand typist and housekeeper. 

During The Great Depression, Angela remembers seeing the Jarrow Marchers, who walked from Jarrow to London in 1936 to protest unemployment and poverty. They looked exhausted and walked in silence but seemed so dignified. 

During WW2, she worked in a gas meter factory converted to make bomb parts. Being Italian, she was an 'enemy alien' and had to report to the police station every week. She said that despite this, everyone treated her with courtesy. She remembers the Doodlebug raids (German rockets). They were only a problem once they fell silent, meaning their engines had cut out and were coming down. One whizzed past her when she came home from work in Park Lane.

After the war, she met her husband, Paul. They married at Chelsea Registry Office and bought their first house in 1950. The house was cheap because it had 2 sitting tenants, so the couple lived in just 2 rooms. Times were hard, but Paul was a brilliant handyman, so they saved a fortune on repairs. 

Angela had a miscarriage in 1951. The following year she had their daughter Pauline.

She then passed her exams to become a telephonist at the Continental Exchange in the City. This was shift work, so it was ideal as it enabled her to juggle the job and being a Mum.

When Paul was 82, he had a stroke. Angela's knack for languages allowed her to learn the Russian alphabet to communicate with Paul's sister, who lived in Russia.

Paul passed away in the late 90s, and Angela lived independently until 2019, when she moved into a care home.

When she turned 100. She got her card from the Queen. She liked it but joked that she would rather have got a box of chocolates.

As a child, Angela lived through the Spanish Flu pandemic. In 2020, aged 107, she contracted the most recent worldwide pandemic, Covid. She was extremely unwell but pulled through and is one of Britain's oldest survivors of the disease. 

Angela is fast approaching her 110th birthday, and she kindly let me take this photo. 

She was incredibly patient as I fiddled with my camera, trying to get a shot. Angela's daughter Pauline, who was a massive help with this interview, told me that Angela has always been very tolerant and open-minded. 

She never judges and has always been a great listener. 

She's not one who talks about 'The good old days. In fact, she calls them 'the not-so-good old days' and wishes there were things like washing machines, disposable nappies and supermarkets back when she was young. Pauline added that Angela has always loved learning new things and is thankful for everything she has seen and done.

 It could be the above attitude that accounts for her longevity. Or perhaps it's her genes. Her dad lived to 106. He retired to Italy and was the oldest man in the country for a while. Whatever the reason, it was an honour to photograph such an amazing woman.