Party for Derbyshire centenarian who credits long life to drinking milk for first 18 years

Vera Kirk becomes a centenarian on Tuesday, August 22, an achievement which will be toasted by her nearest and dearest at her home in Newton, where she has lived for around 35 years.

Close family members will get the special birthday celebration off to an early start by taking Vera out for lunch at the Bulls Head in Belper this Sunday.

Vera has a daughter Pauline and a son Ian, grandchildren Martin, Jody and Danielle and great-grandchildren Cleo, Neve, Heath and Gray. Her husband Harry died in 2007 and her granddaughter Zeph died in 2019.

Pauline Checklin, who has compiled a book about her mum’s early years based on Vera’s memories, said: "Mum enjoyed all parts of her life. She had a very happy childhood and a happy marriage."

When asked what Vera’s recipe for a long life is, Pauline said: "Mum says she only drank milk until she was 18. When she joined the WAAF that's when she started to drink tea and coffee."

Vera was born to John Stephen and Dorothy May Neaves in Cleethorpes and moved to Arkwright at the age of one after her father left the Royal Navy. Her dad worked on the railways initially as a porter, then as a signalman and worked his way up to being in charge of the signal box at Arkwright on the busy main line from London.

The family moved to Sutton Scarsdale where Vera's brother Raymond was born in 1930. After living in a couple of rented properties, Vera's dad used some danger money he had received from the Ministry of Defence for work he had done during the First World War to buy a house for his family.

A few years later the family moved into a newly built bungalow in Hall Drive, their first house with an indoor bathroom. There was a lot of land surrounding the property so the family kept ducks, pigs, hens and chickens. They had apple, plum and pear trees and grew grapes in a greenhouse.

Vera grew up with paraffin lamps, candles and coal fire to light and heat her family home. A stone hot water bottle wrapped in a towel kept her warm in bed at night.

Monday was wash-day when a metal dolly tub, rubbing boards, block of hard soap and a scrubbing brush were used to clean the family’s laundry. A copper boiler in the corner of the kitchen would be lit and towels, whites and clothes would be boiled in it. A wash dolly, which was a long stick with three prongs, was used to agitate the laundry which was then rinsed in clean water. The washing was then put through a wooden mangle to squeeze out the surplus water.

Tuesday was ironing day when two metal irons would be put in front of the fire to heat up. A piece of linen was folded over several times and put over the handle to hold it. Soap was rubbed over the base of the iron to make it slippy.

Going to school in Arkwright involved a four-mile round trip for Vera who made the journey on foot. English was her favourite subject at school.

She left school when she was 14 and went to work at the Post Office in Chesterfield for a short time. Vera followed her dream of being a hairdresser in Chesterfield but not for long as in those days employers had to be paid to train their workers and her parents couldn't afford it. Her next job was working at a farm.

Vera was 16 when war broke out and two years later she joined the WAAF. After her training she became a carpenter and reached the rank of LACW, the highest a woman could achieve in this trade. Her three years' service took her around the country including Morecambe, Grange over Sands, Alvaston, Gloucester and Cheadle Hulme. Pauline said: “She enjoyed being in the WAAF.”

Following the war Vera returned home to Derbyshire and was reunited with her sweetheart Harry, whom she had first met when she was 16 after walking to Holmewood with her friend. Before they were separated by the conflict, Harry and Vera had gone together to sign up for war service only to find that Harry’s job as an electrician at Williamthorpe Colliery meant that he needed to remain at the pit. However, he did his bit for the war effort as a member of the Home Guard.

In 1947 Harry and Vera tied to knot at St Mary’s Church, Sutton Scarsdale. There weren't enough clothing coupons to kit out the bridal party so Vera wore a dress borrowed from a neighbour of the groom's mum and her bridesmaids borrowed dresses from friends.

The groom and his best man scraped together enough coupons for new suits, this being more practical as their outfits could be worn again. A barber in Holmewood gave the groom a haircut as a wedding gift.

Neighbours pooled their coupons to get ingredients including dried eggs for the wedding cake which was made by another neighbour of the groom's mum. Vera recalled that the fruit cake was dry and the icing was grey!

The reception was held in the bride's house where 20 people dined at trestle tables. Everything for the wedding breakfast was provided or grown by Vera’s father. The chickens came from the family's menagerie, salad and potatoes from their garden and apples for a pie came from the orchard.

Vera and Harry's wedding gifts amounted to salt and pepper pots and toast racks. They spent their honeymoon in Bridlington, the bride travelling in a new going-away suit.

Harry and Vera lived with Vera's parents in Sutton Scarsdale until Pauline was born and then moved to Bolsover. A couple of years into married life, Harry left his job as an electrician to become a policemen and stayed with the Derbyshire constabulary until retirement. Harry and Vera had been married for nearly 60 years when he died in 2007.

Vera's interests down the years have included reading, making her own clothes and she was a member of the WI for a long time.