Owen Filer, believed to be Wales' oldest man, said "there is no secret" to a long life as he prepares to mark his 107th birthday. The Cwmbran resident revealed he has lived on "genuine" fish and chips while celebrating the milestone with friends, family and fellow veterans on Friday.
A life of service and simple habits
Born in 1919, Mr Filer served with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and then the Military Police during World War 2. Ahead of his birthday on Monday, he told reporters: "How I got here I'll never know, but I've met a lot of people who have admired me and asked me how do I do it. No secret recipe, except that I always worked all my life.
"There is no secret, you just live properly, and I've always done it. I've never overeaten… I lived on fish and chips. Fish and chips, a full meal, a scoop full of chips and a fish, and it was cod and hake, it was genuine.
"You can't afford to buy it now, can you? It's such a change, isn't it, it's crazy."
Daily routine and birthday celebrations
Mr Filer's daily routine includes taking a bus and heading to his local Asda. He said: "Everyone is so friendly at Asda and they all know me by name. I always have a good chat and a laugh and a joke."
On Friday, Mr Filer was presented with a commemorative statuette by SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, in recognition of his military service and in early celebration of his birthday on October 19. He was accompanied to the event at Tredegar Veterans Support Hub by his daughter Anne Messore, 80, one of his four children. He also has 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
Later on Friday, Mr Filer was surprised with a red carpet welcome at Market Hall Cinema in Brynmawr, where he chose a screening of the film One Good Turn.
Reflections on turning 107
Asked how he felt about turning 107, he said: "I thought it would be a better world I would be living in, but I didn't think I'd ever make it.
"Nobody ever thought about old age in our family… We had no food, we had no money, and that's God's truth, we had no money."
Darren Foote, a fellow veteran who helped to organise the birthday celebrations, said: "He doesn't understand why they make a fuss of him, he doesn't get it at all. He's just a really nice, down-to-earth guy.
"He still gets up in the morning, he puts a clean shirt on, puts his tie on, cleans his shoes, and he gets up with purpose.
"I think we can all take a leaf out of his book on that one, for sure."
