Hermione is Shropshire's oldest at age of 109

Hermione Cock was born on March 1, 1904 – making her the county's oldest person according to an internet list of the UK's oldest Britons.

Hermione, who lives at the Ferns Residential Home in Shrewsbury, is the 33rd oldest person in the UK.

During her incredibly long life, the great-grandmother has lived through two world wars, watched 21 prime ministers govern the country and seen five monarchs on the throne.

The mother-of-three has seven grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, the youngest of whom is 12 and lives in California.

Hermione said she has had a 'happy life' which has seen her travel across the world.

She said yesterday she 'couldn't believe' she had reached 109 years of age. Relatives said her faith in religion had played a big part in her long life. She is a member of the Church of England.

Her daughter Eve said: "She is very religious and God has seen her through a lot of problems. She is very kind and calm."

Hermione was born in Wiltshire but moved to Shropshire in the 1920s and lived in Whitchurch Road in Shrewsbury.

She met her husband James at a 'heavily chaperoned' party and they married at St Mary's Church in 1928.

Hermione became a housewife and looked after her three young children, while James worked as a tanner in Barker Street.

At the outbreak of World War Two, he was drafted into the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and served in Africa. Hermione became a voluntary nurse with the St John's Ambulance and worked at the old infirmary in Shrewsbury town centre, now the Parade Shopping Centre.

Eve said: "She nursed anybody that was brought in. My father saw some horrible things during the war but like a lot of men then he never talked about it."

After the war, the couple moved to Holyhead Road in Wellington, when Mr Cock took a job at engineering company GKN Sankey.

They returned to Shrewsbury upon his retirement. Hermione and James were together for more than 50 years, before he passed away in 1984 at the age of 79.

Eve said her mother was an artist at heart and loved travelling. She added: "She loves reading and wrote a bit of poetry, and loves pictures and watercolours. She loves flying and went out to visit my brother Jamie in California many times."

Family members will be holding a small party at the residential home tomorrow. Hermione is also expecting a card from the Queen, which she has received every year since reaching the age of 105 and received a telegram when she turned 100.