A 103-YEAR-OLD woman from Bromsgrove, who worked in the NHS from the day it was launched, will celebrate her birthday in the same month the service turns 70.

Grace Cooper, who is now a resident of Burcot Grange care home, began her nurse training in London in the early 1930s, after moving to England from Canada.

During the Second World War, Grace was moved to the Old British Legion Hospital in Kent, before undertaking six months of midwifery training in Sheffield.

Grace told the Advertiser: "I remember a time when I was on the way to work at Sheffield Hospital with another nurse and we both hit the ground during an air raid, as we had been trained to do.

"We realised how lucky we were as there had been a direct hit very close to us."

Keen to contribute to the war effort, Grace joined the Royal Air Force and worked at various bases. She was on hand to treat the injured when a bomb hit a train of soldiers, killing up to 100 servicemen.

After being demobbed in 1945, Grace worked at Wingfield Morris Orthopaedic Hospital in Oxford, caring for children, before moving to the children's ward at the Royal Cripples Hospital (now the Orthopaedic Hospital) in Birmingham.

Grace recalled arriving at the hospital one day to find workmen changing the name on the sign outside.

She believes this coincided with the start of the National Health Service, which she continued to serve for the rest of her working life.

Bromsgrove Advertiser:

After spending a year in her hometown in Canada, Grace took on a senior position at the former Forelands Hospital in Bromsgrove, treating children recovering from orthopaedic procedures.

Six years later, she reached the pinnacle of her career as matron of the town's Cottage Hospital - a position she held until her retirement at the age of 60 in 1974.

The devoted healthcare worker will celebrate her 104th birthday this month, just weeks after the NHS marks its 70th year.

Reflecting on how the service has changed healthcare in England, Grace said: "All the changes happened quite gradually - nothing was instant.

“The food for patients was pretty much the same, but after a while we started getting condiments with it, like salt and pepper, which was lovely.

“And over time the beds which had been rigid and horrible became much softer. And the sheets and bedding eventually all got an NHS stamp on them.”

Grace, who has lived at Burcot Grange for 15 years, now enjoys writing poetry and reading, and has recently taken computer lessons so that she can email her friends in Canada.

She will celebrate her 104th birthday on July 21 with family and friends at Burcot Grange.