FAMILY and friends joined together on Tuesday, August 13 to celebrate the 100th birthday of Norman Stutter.

Norman was born in Cardiff and when he left school at 14 he joined the Post Office and became a telegraph boy.

He started in the Territorial Army but following call up at the outbreak of war he found himself in the Heavy Anti-Aircraft Unit in London in 1940.

After duty in North Africa and Italy he was sent to Greece during the Greek Civil War where he was promoted to Major.

It was here that he met his late wife Sophia and they were married in Athens, a marriage which lasted 53 years.

On his return to England at the end of his service Norman joined the Forestry Commission where during this time he found himself moving to different parts of the country as he progressed in his career and his daughters Mary and Helen were born.

Finally 40 years ago he moved to Rowledge when he joined the Research Division at the Alice Holt establishment, retiring when he was 60.