Portsmouth musician who played to wartime troops celebrates her 105th birthday

Maisie Smith moved to Portsmouth when she was a child and has lived in the same house in Fratton for a century.

The former musician celebrated her birthday with family and a card from the King and Queen. She already has a 100th birthday card, sent and signed by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Some of her earliest memories are of the bombing of Portsmouth. During World War Two around twenty per cent of the city's houses were destroyed during the long campaign of enemy bombing.

''We used to go out at night to visit friends,'' she said. ''And when we came back there was no back bedroom. It was gone.''

Maisie grew up to be a talented musician and an accomplished accordion player who would play at venues and public spaces around the city during the war.

Son Robin Bartlett said: ''She led her own six person band, was a musician, pianist and accordionist, and she won the Southern Counties gold medal for accordion playing back in the 1940s when she was a young lady. Just an amazing person, amazing musician. Played several instruments, mostly keyboard instruments. She volunteered herself on D-Day along the seafront in Portsmouth, and played off the troops that were going off to D-Day. ''

Maisie had a job working for the local council and the Mayor. She would play music in her spare time and says there were many people who would travel around trying to spread cheer during difficult times.

She was at the seafront playing the accordion as soldiers boarded ships headed to France for D-Day in 1944.

She said; ''I had a lovely accordion. I used to do a lot of playing and that around different Army camps, places like that. It was happy. Not happy because of the War, I don't mean that. But it was quite a nice atmosphere.''

''She's just an amazing person, a lovely person and an amazing musician,'' said Mr Bartlett. ''I am very blessed to say the least. All my friends are very jealous of me because I still have Mum.''

Maisie married twice, both to men who served during wartime. She has three children, four grandchildren and three great grandchildren.