One of Britain’s oldest women who hails from the Black Country and helped to make shells for the First World War, has celebrated her 108th birthday.

Lottie Davis, born in West Bromwich but who now lives in Cornwall, puts her long life down to a whisky before bed every night. She was born on December 7, 1901 – the youngest of nine children.

She lived in West Bromwich for almost a century before moving to Cornwall when she was 99 to be close to her son and daughter-in-law and is now a resident of the Poldhu Care Home at Poldhu Cove on the Lizard, in Cornwall.

After leaving school at 13 Mrs Davis immediately went to work at a local factory, manufacturing pearl buttons. However, it was not long before she moved into a munitions factory, making shells during the First World War.

Talking about her early days Mrs Davis added: “I worked 12 hours a day, that was good. If we got a pound a week we were very lucky.”

Mrs Davis married her husband Joseph in 1923, by which time she had already lived through one world war, sending her father away and seeing him return. In 1927 she gave birth to her son Clifford, now 82.

During the 1930s, despite her husband, a crane driver, being out of work after an accident, she opened a shop and worked serving rations. When the Second World War ended Mrs Davis invested in a better business selling draperies. It was here she continued to work until she was 67.

Mrs Davis and her husband Joe were married over 50 years before he passed away when she was 76. She said many things have changed since her youth. “There weren’t any cars when I was young,” she said. “TV, no, gramophones, yes.”

And she said she enjoys a whisky and it helps her relax. “I take it as medicine,” she said. “If I didn’t have a glass of whisky at night I don’t think I’d sleep properly. I have just enough for me to enjoy.”

She added: “I didn’t start having drink until I was over 75. I was teetotal until then. Now I have one whisky before bed. I have it with lemonade.”

And as to the secret of long life, she said: “Secrets? I couldn’t start to tell you the secrets I’ve got.”