St Albans woman Violet still blooming after 100 years

A FORMER office manager is still blooming after recently celebrating her 100th birthday.

Violet “Robbie” Robertson (n�e Stanley) now lives at St Raphael’s care home in Avenue Road, St Albans. Her son Craig Robertson, 75, said: “Mum is blind and deaf and a little frail but her memory is still quite good.”

Robbie was born in Gibraltar, the second of 13 children. Her father was a bombardier in the Royal Field Artillery based there at the time and when her father was demobbed in 1918 the family moved to the Isle of Wight, moving again to Woolmer Green two years later.

She started work at the Shredded Wheat Company in Welwyn Garden City when she left school aged 14 and stayed there until she married James Robertson six years later in 1930.

They set up home in Welwyn Garden City where she lived until April this year when she moved to St Raphael’s. Her husband James died aged 67 in 1973.

After World War Two Robbie started work at ICI where she worked her way up to the position of office manager in the exports registry. She worked there until she retired in 1970.

Robbie and James had four children – two of whom are still alive – James, 77, and Craig, 75. She also has seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren and a brother and sister – both in their 80s - still living in Canada.