Happy Birthday Albert: 107-year-old from Black Country is one of Britain's oldest men

And Kingswinford man Albert Taylor puts it all down to a good old bowl of steaming porridge every morning.

Born in 1910 the former toolmaker has lived through both World Wars and knew a time before televisions.

Now Baggies fan Mr Taylor loves nothing better than watching the football or snooker on the box.

A former employee of Stewarts Glassworks in Amblecote, Stourbridge, Mr Taylor had two children with late wife Mary, Robert and Roger, He also has three grandsons, Andrew, Simon and Richard.

He turned 107 yesterday.

But despite his grand years he still lives independently, spending one week at home and the next with Robert – who lives in Shropshire.

Robert said: “He spends one week looking after himself and he has wonderful neighbours as well, particularly Jean, his next door neighbour, who really is wonderful.

“Then, he will spend the week with me, I’ll look after him – recharge his batteries.

“He is the eldest of seven children – and the rest have passed away. He puts his longevity down to porridge.”

Born in Catshill, Albert has lived in Kingswinford for more than 50 years and spent most of his working life as a toolmaker, which was a reserved occupation during the war.

“He left school at 14, and then started working at Stewarts Glassworks – cleaning furnaces and getting covered in soot,” said Robert.

"His wages were seven shillings and six-pence.

"After Stewarts, he cycled from Amblecote to Smethwick every day to work at Scrivens’s cakes.

"He retired at 72 and most of his working life was spent as a a toolmaker.”

Albert took part in a local, over 60s keep fit group for a while but stopped going when he was 90, as Robert said rumour has it ‘he was the only one going’.

Nowadays, he likes to watch sport on TV and Robert added: “He is a little frail, being 107, but he loves watching his sport – he follows the football, and is an avid snooker fan so he was engrossed in the World Championships recently.

"For his age, he has most of his faculties and is good physically, although he is a little worried that his hair is thinning.

“His famous quote, what he still says now, is ‘if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.’”