FORMER Women’s Land Army girl Mamie Mellor has celebrated her landmark 100th birthday.
The special occasion was marked with a family party at the Hyde farm where she still lives, and which has been home for 77 years.
Romance blossomed during the Second World War for Romiley-raised Mamie Corcoran, as she was then, while serving in the Women’s Land Army at Low Top Farm, Greave.
It was while there that she met farm worker Thomas Mellor. And when it came to the Christmas Eve marriage proposal, daughter Jen revealed the most unusual setting – by the shippon door at the farm.
They moved to the 33-acre Lumn Farm, Hyde, with the help of a £2,000 family loan following their marriage in April 1945.
And the end of April marked the 77th anniversary of Mamie’s move to the former working farm.
It has certainly not been an easy life for Mamie, who was widowed in 1965 when Thomas died aged 54 of a massive heart attack.
Mamie was left to raise 10 children, aged between three years and late teens, single-handedly as well as running a farm which had dairy cattle, pigs and hens.
In the early days on the farm and before motorised milk floats, Thomas and Mamie did their milk round in Gee Cross by horse and trap while they also delivered eggs.
Thomas and Mamie were also involved in the formation of Romiley Young Farmers Club in 1943, an organisation which is still in existence.
No longer a working farm, Mamie still lives there with youngest son Andrew.
And she remains highly independent, still cooking and serves Andrew his tea each evening.
There has never been central heating in the house nor a television as she has avoided the trappings of modern-day life, including having never driven which meant walking to the bus stop to go shopping in Hyde until the age of 81 when she had a second hip replacement.
Jen said: “Mum has not had an easy life and certainly not been mollycoddled. That is why she has probably lived so long.
“She is marvellous, very active, still cooking and likes to read and do crosswords.
“She also loves dogs and cats, and she jokes she loves them more than her children. She currently has two cats, both strays.”
Her little indulgence remains a twice weekly drink on Wednesday and Saturday evenings, either a sherry or glass of wine.
Mamie’s children, eldest first, are Tommy, Liz, Jen, Wendy, Linda, Philip, twins Jeffrey and Julia, David and Andrew.
She has 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren and on the day of her birthday, St George’s Day, there was a party at the farm for 60 members of immediate family as well as other friends.
And earlier on Mamie’s special day, Tameside’s Civic Mayor Cllr Janet Cooper paid a visit with a card and bouquet on behalf of the borough. Ward councillor Shibley Alam also presented flowers and handed over a card from MP Jonathan Reynolds.
Instead of presents, Mamie insisted that donations should be to either The Dogs Trust or Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital.