AN active centenarian has celebrated being the care home's oldest resident at 105.

George Argent, who lives at the Prince Edward Duke of Kent Court in Stisted, was happy to have a house full of family on his birthday.

About 20 of his family members, including his great-great-grandchildren, visited the home on Saturday, January 28.

Mr Argent, who grew up and lived in Great Yeldham, has written down his first memories.

He said: "My first memory was that of being in my mother's arms and waving my father goodbye as he set out for war service in 1915.

"It was in 1916 when I saw my first aeroplane, there were only about two cars in Great Yeldham and four telephones.

"In 1919, the day after my father came home from the war, we had deep snow and I took the day off school.

"When I went back the next day I had to explain my absence."

Mr Argent's parents married in 1911- his dad was a gardener at an Edwardian house in Tilbury Road and his mother was the parlour maid.

He was born the following year.

In 1922 the family moved to Poole Street in Great Yeldham and in 1923 Mr Argent started at Earls Colne Grammar School.

He left school at 19 and became an apprentice carpenter at the Crittall factory in Braintree.

In 1938 he started his own business as a builder and funeral director, before marrying his wife Olive, from Toppesfield, in 1942.

Olive died in 2004, aged 89.

He had his first daughter, Gillian, in 1944, and his second daughter, Marion, in 1949.

His daughter Marion Heredia, now 67, lives in Kent but visits her father every week.

She said: "I had a lovely childhood, I was very much daddy's girl.

"I used to help him look after the pigs which he bred as his hobby.

"We moved in 1952 to a bigger house along the road, dad paid £2,000 in cash for it.

"We grew all of our own fruit and vegetables, we never bought anything.

"He was quite strict but very fair, I just adored him- I was the boy he never had."

Once Mr Argent had retired he became a parish councillor for Great Yeldham, and was in charge of managing the cemetery in Ridgewell Road.

His daughter said: "He hasn't changed, he still likes to be in charge.

"He has always been responsible and had his own business, he has always been a leader.

"He's very frail physically but he's pretty alert mentally.

"He just loves meeting the family, he has nine great-grandchildren."

Mr Argent was 92 when his wife died, and moved into the care home the same year.

His daughter added: "He was quite fit when he moved in here, he used to go for walks.

"He said the key to long life is moderation in anything, if he could still get out now he would still be smoking his pipe."