An accomplished veteran who survived both the 1918 Spanish flu and the Second World War was forced to celebrate his 107th birthday without his family. England’s lockdown measures amid the CCP virus pandemic prevented a family gathering, so the centenarian received gifts and adulation from the staff at his residential care home instead.
According to a report by Metro, 107-year-old Reg Lewis’s family could not join their beloved patriarch’s birthday party on April 7, 2020, due to the social distancing measures imposed in the wake of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. However, that didn’t stop Reg’s care home from throwing him a small party in honor of his special day.
“Reaching and passing milestones in life is a bit of a habit for Reg,” staff at the Forder Lane House Care Home in Dartington, Devon, posted on their website.
The 107-year-old veteran was presented with an array of cards, balloons, a cake bearing the message “Happy Birthday” in novelty candles, and a beautiful bunch of yellow tulips.
“We are absolutely enamoured by the home and the care that Reg receives there,” said Reg’s son Mike, 72. “Dad is very happy at Forder Lane House and tells us that he’s very well looked after.”
Reg was born in the English county of Shropshire in 1913, one year before World War One began, and has lived under the governance of 21 British prime ministers and a grand total of four monarchs. According to Yahoo!, Reg served during the Second World War with the Royal Devon Yeomanry artillery brigade in both Singapore and India.
Before joining the war effort, Reg ran his own butcher’s business in Shropshire. Upon his return to England after the war, he received a telephone call from an officer he had served under, offering him a management position at a small village farm, which Reg accepted.
Reg remained loyal to the running of the farm for 20 years, eventually returning to work as a butcher when the farm was sold. The accomplished war hero and tradesman only retired at the age of 93.
The centenarian moved to Forder Lane House in 2018, where he is said to take great pleasure in Tai Chi and recreational card games. Beside his son, Mike, Reg has two daughters: Gill, 75, and Sylvia, 70.
He is also the oldest resident of the organisation.
Christine Candlish, South Devon Rural Housing’s chief executive, praised the elderly resident by saying that everyone who knows Reg is fond of him. “[W]e’re delighted to see him tick off another year in his amazing catalog of personal milestones,” she added.
Candlish also mentioned that the current constraints owing to the outbreak of the global pandemic have put immense strain on the staff and residents of senior-living facilities. Restrictions to visitations have also caused worry and disappointment to many families who find themselves unable to visit their loved ones.
Candlish said: “Our priority is to protect our residents and keep them safe during this difficult time but the people around Reg will make sure that he has a good time as he celebrates his birthday among friends.”
