AN OLD soldier who delivered messages around the streets of Southampton during the First World War has been honoured on his 100th birthday by the modern day British Army.

Doug Terrey from Marchwood had a surprise visitor when he began his celebrations surrounded by fellow members of the Cussens Day Centre at Hythe.

There to greet him and present him with a plaque was Warrant Officer Terry Stevens, who is based at Marchwood with 17 Port and Maritime Regiment of the Royal Logistics Corps.

Mr Terrey had his first taste of Army life on his 14th birthday when he took an Army medical on Southampton Common and joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps.

He said: "My job was to take messages all over Southampton on an Army bike with a great big despatch bag."

He renewed his links with the Army as a medical orderly with the Home Guard during the Second World War.

After the First World War, Mr Terrey, who was born in the Bernard Street area of Southampton, worked at Munn and Underwood's garage, near the site of the present Civic Centre and then worked for Parsons Engineering for 31 years until he joined Esso at Fawley Refinery at the age of 49.

He also studied maths and physics at Southampton University and was a member of both the Southampton Albion Silver Band and the Southampton Choral Union.

He was married to his late wife Ethel for 59 years and has two children - daughter Margaret Bannister was a long-serving chairman of New Forest Council's housing committee and Age Concern Totton - as well as four grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

The party for Doug was organised by Cussens manager Celia Hill and her staff.