A grandfather-of-five has become the oldest student in Britain to achieve a languages qualification – at the grand age of 91.

Prize pupil James Gallagher, of Wolverhampton, picked up maximum marks in German.

His success followed weekly lessons at the Adult Education Service in Old Hall Street. The retired GKN chartered engineer was unfazed by his achievement and plans to keep up his studies with the 14-strong group, including a class visit to Germany next month.

He said: “I’m a great believer in keeping the mind active. I do Sudoku puzzles every day and although I stopped working nearly 30 years ago I still get the chartered engineers’ trade journal and keep abreast of what is going on in the industry.”

Mr Gallagher, who was born in Roscommon in Ireland, came to the UK at the age of 20, initially living in Berkshire before heading north to the West Midlands after the war, eventually settling in Tettenhall.

At GKN, where he worked between 1965-1982, he helped develop advanced manufacturing techniques, regularly travelling to Germany to visit suppliers and competitors. “I attempted to speak some German when I went over on trips,” he said. “I didn’t really have the time to learn the language until I retired.

Mr Gallagher achieved a Grade 9, the highest grade, in the Asset Languages course run by the respected OCR awards body. The new-style exam is comparable to a higher standard GCSE.