Southampton's first postwoman celebrates her 100th birthday

Olive Taylor was surrounded by close family and old friends this weekend to celebrate her 100th birthday. 

Described as a “precious lady”, Olive turned 100 and received a birthday card from the Queen, but if reaching 100 years old isn’t impressive enough, Olive was the very first postwoman to work in Southampton.

She has lived her whole life in Southampton and left school aged 14. 

During the Second World War and Olive’s place of work Pirelli’s, the cable makers in Western Esplanade, was bombed during the Southampton Blitz, which meant she desperately needed a new job.

She heard that the Post Office in High Street was taking on women as sorters leading up to Christmas.

She heard that the Post Office in High Street was taking on women as sorters leading up to Christmas.

When that job came to an end, she went to pick up her wages where she noticed she had been overpaid by ten shillings.

She went back the very same day to return the money. They were so pleaded that Olive had returned the note that they asked: "Is there anything we can do to thank you?"

Olive asked for a full time job and became the first postwoman to work in Southampton.

She delivered post across Southampton throughout the Blitz.

Olive was married to teenage-sweetheart Bram Taylor at 19-years-old in 1941.

They went on to have four children, nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Olive volunteered for the Sea Scouts where her three sons attended, helping out with jumble sales, fundraisers and open days.

Bram played in the City Southampton Band, which played in the Saints onto the pitch every week.

They would play carols on top of Debenhams on Queensway, and Olive would stand on the street level collecting donations.

She also volunteered for St John's Ambulance and the church.

Having been fostered as a child, Olive did not have much family growing up.

But now, five generations of Olive's family have lived in Woolston, and she has raised a "clan" of musicians.

Her only daughter and youngest child Elizabeth Edmunds, said that her mum was "all about hard graft".

"She was a prolific knitter," Elizabeth said.

"When she got to her eighties, she joined one of the social clubs for the elderly in Southampton and they made over 1,000 blankets for a local women's shelter.

"Some of the ladies called it the 'fallen women's shelter', and my mum always said 'well if there were no fallen men there would be no fallen women'.

"She would not let anybody go past that needed anything.

"I remember as a kid her running down stairs and she'd seen a homeless man walk past and was picking up things off the floor to eat and she went into the cupboard and grabbed whatever she could find to give him. But he'd gone by the time she got out there.

"No one ever left our house without a three course meal and whatever she could give you out of the cupboard.

"She would help anyone, even now, she has all these flowers she's got for her birthday and she's saying: 'Give some to someone who doesn't have any'.

"She is a very very precious lady, I know everyone says that about their mum but she really is

"When I said to her: 'how old do you think you are today?' she said: 'I must be 70, 75'.

"I said 'You're 100, mum' and she gave me the most beautiful smile and teared up as if she'd won the lottery.

"She never thought she'd get here, but I think personally it's because she doesn't like missing out."