A real-life angel who worked at a County Durham munitions factory during the Second World War is celebrating her 100th birthday.
Ann Kay, from Langley Moor, helped to produce millions of finished munitions including bullets, shells, and mines, at the Royal Ordnance Factory 59 at Aycliffe. She was known as an 'Aycliffe Angel,' the name given to workers at the factory, a source of great pride to her.
Ann's work was dangerous and secretive but meant that she could also help her mother out at home. As one of 13 children born to a Brandon mining family, Ann helped look after her brothers and sisters in between shifts at the factory.
“I’d snatch as much sleep as I could before school came out and the kids came in, then there was no sleeping," she said.
"I helped, however I could, then I’d be back to the factory.”
In her spare time, Ann enjoyed dancing with her friends, and it was on her way home from a dance, at The Three Tuns, in Durham, that she met her future husband, Aaron.
“In those days there was this little train you got from Durham to Brandon, I got off the train and a man got off and followed me, I was walking on the path, and he was walking up the road,” she said.
“I thought ‘oh my God,’ then it started to rain, and he said, ‘come over here, it isn’t raining over here.' I lived at the top of Brandon, he lived at the bottom, and he said he’d seen me and had his eye on me.
"He was a sailor and it turned out he used the munitions I worked on. After that, I used to tell my mother I was going shopping in Newcastle and meet him when he got off the ship, we got found out when a neighbour and her daughter were in the same café as us.”
The couple later married and were together until Aaron passed away in 2000.
Ann said: “I’ve always liked to be busy, to live as independently as possible, and I have always been a cheerful person. You have to keep active and keep going, sometimes I still put a record on and enjoy a little waltz at home.”
Ann, who is now a believe housing tenant, celebrated her 100th birthday today (July 4) with the help of the County Durham-based housing association.
Sophie Lormor, a neighbourhood officer for believe housing, dropped off a present for Ann at her home to make the milestone occasion.
“She’s just lovely, I loved hearing about her life," Sophie said.
"It is great to be able to help one of our customers to celebrate such a special birthday.”
READ NEXT:
