Irene Cavanagh, a Southport woman who served during the Second World War, celebrated her 100th birthday on Wednesday, October 7 at Locharwoods of Birkdale care home, surrounded by family and friends. The milestone was marked with a surprise visit from SSAFA, the armed forces charity, who arranged a WWII military Jeep, serving military personnel, and a special presentation.
Despite the occasion, Irene admitted she is still struggling to believe she has reached the grand old age. She told the ECHO: “I can’t believe I’m celebrating it. It’s come suddenly. It’s just appeared.”
Service with the Royal Signals
Irene served with the Royal Signals during the Second World War as an auxiliary sergeant, taking responsibility for mail and helping ensure soldiers received their letters wherever they were sent. Her working day began early at the Post Office, where she was responsible for making sure boxes were emptied and mail was transferred to the right people.
She remembers one commanding officer in particular, a strict Scotsman who had served in the WWI. Irene said: “He told me to put my cap on to salute him, and I did willingly.” Despite the war raging around them, Irene said she and her colleagues simply concentrated on doing their jobs. She said: “We just got on with your routine job. You didn’t think about it.”
Netball and a telegram to London
There were, however, moments of fun and friendship away from the work. Irene was a keen netball player, and one of her most vivid wartime memories came when she was unexpectedly called upon to travel to London to form a team representing Northern Command against Southern Command. She had been on leave when a telegram arrived asking her to return.
She said: “A telegram came for me personally, and it used to frighten everyone because it would always say, ‘We regret to inform you’.” Instead, the telegram had been sent to ask Irene to help form the netball team. She and six other women travelled south on an unlit train at night. She said: “No one had been to London, not a girl I knew. We went down on an unlit train at night, and we always remember you could see the men smoking as they lit up their faces.”
Netball remained a huge part of Irene’s life, and she credits keeping active with helping her reach 100. She said: “I didn’t realise I was that fit, but I’ve kept fit in my life. Netball was very important to me.”
Dancing and the 'Libra twins'
Dancing was also a huge part of Irene’s life as she recalled that there was “plenty of time off in the evening for dancing”. She said: “It was very good.” During her time in London, she met her late husband Alan. They went on to have one son, Richard, and three grandchildren. The couple would meet up to go dancing at the town hall, but on one particular evening, they discovered they shared an extraordinary coincidence.
Irene said: “We were sitting quietly and he said to me, ‘I’ve been trying to tell you it’s my birthday next week’ and I said, ‘I’ve been trying to tell you mine’. That’s when we realised our birthdays were the exact same. We said, ‘We’re twins!’ and we became known as the ‘Libra twins’.”
A huge surprise
Following the war, Irene never received the medals she was entitled to for her service, so, as part of the celebrations, she was surprised with the War Medal 1939 - 1945, presented to her by Captain Royston Smith-Straney MBE in front of her friends and family. She was also gifted cards, flowers and a certificate before being surprised by the arrival of a vintage military jeep.
For Irene, the moment came as a complete surprise as she said she had “no idea” that her efforts would lead to her finally being presented with a medal herself as part of her centenary celebrations. SSAFA had been supporting Irene's family with the application and liaising with the Ministry of Defence to help progress it in time for her big day.
Irene said: “It’s very good because I can give it to my grandson. It’s marvellous that so many people have turned up to celebrate. I’ve had such a happy, good life and have been healthy. It’s been a big surprise, and I’m so grateful to all my friends and family for coming.”
