Britain’s 12th oldest man turned 107 and revealed the secret to his long life.
Leonard Howes, born in 1916, served in World War II and lived through the reigns of five different monarchs during his lifetime.
Buckingham Palace sent four cards to Leonard Howes: one to mark his 100th birthday, another to mark his 105th birthday and two more in subsequent years.
Leonard, the oldest person in his hometown of Bristol, celebrated his 107th birthday with his entire family.
Carol Howes, her daughter-in-law, commented: “For as long as she can remember, she has attributed her long life to eating cereal with whole milk and lots of sugar.”
Leonard Howes and his Shredded Wheat cereal
(Carol Howes/SWNS)
Len, his family’s nickname, left school at 14 to train as a plumber.
In 1937, the Bristol City fan took a job at the British General Post Office, where he worked for the next 44 years, retiring in 1981 at the age of 65, shortly after the company became known as British Telecom.
Len served in the Royal Corps of Signals in World War II as an electrical engineer.
During the Blitz he was stationed at a Wiltshire military station, Box Hill, repairing bomb damage to telephone cables.
Howes also worked to intercept possible enemy communications and electrical signals at Forest Moor “Y” Station, a Royal Navy shore base in Harrogate.
(Carol Howes/SWNS)
On Victory Day in 1945, Leonard proudly marched through the city and was applauded by the cheering crowd.
Although Len is now 107 years old, his parents died in 1945 and 1946.
Leonard Howes with his wife Alice when they were younger
(Courtesy of Carol Howes/SWNS)
His wife Alice died in December 2000 at the age of 81. The couple was married for 60 years.
For 10 years, Howes has lived in Newquay, Cornwall, with David, his only son and daughter-in-law Carol.
Len Hoes in Mallorca in 1972
(Courtesy of Carol Howes/SWNS)
Carol added: “Len had a great time celebrating with the rest of the family, including grandson Nick, granddaughter Jenny and great-grandchildren Ollie and Jacob.”
“We always come up with a theme for his birthday cake and this year it was a fish cake, chips and fondant mushy peas, his favorite food. So Saturday was all about fish and chips.”
Carol says that even though Len is almost deaf, he still stays active by keeping up with current events and exercising his brain.
Leo Howes was born in Bristol on October 14, 1916.
(Carol Howes/SWNS)
He added: “At the age of 95 we gave him an iPad which he uses every day to follow the news and do crossword puzzles.”
“She also uses Find My Friends to follow the family on their visiting trips from Bristol and Swindon.”
“He has become a bit forgetful lately and uses a walker to get around because his legs are unstable, but he is doing very well for his age.”
He turned 107 on October 14th.
Translation by Michelle Padilla