As Albert Middleton prepares to celebrate his 108th birthday on Saturday, he has a few secrets for longevity to share: music, coffee, candy — and good living.
Long before they see him, staff and residents at Veterans Memorial Lodge, where he lives, know he’s coming down the hall because they can hear him singing, usually big band tunes.
“He is always singing, always with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face — especially for the ladies,” said Yvan Cameron, an activity worker with Broadmead Care Home, which runs the long-term care facility.
Middleton, who is hard of hearing, smiles broadly when he hears the compliment.
Born in 1915 in London, England, he is one of Canada’s oldest surviving Second World War veterans.
He first set foot in Canada in Halifax in 1929, sent to this country by the National Children’s Home and Orphanage, a U.K. children’s charity. He arrived with no passport or birth certificate, one of an estimated 3,400 British children, mostly boys, sent to the home’s Canadian branch in Hamilton, Ont., between 1873 and 1931.
After surviving the Great Depression, Middleton enlisted in the RCAF in 1943 and was deployed in the United Kingdom.
After the war, he settled in Ontario, living on a 26-hectare hobby farm while working at various businesses. He remarried at age 70 and moved back to London, England, where he lived for 20 years before moving back to Canada.
He later decided to settle in Victoria because he found the weather here similar to that in London.
Prior to his move to Veterans Memorial Lodge seven years ago, at the age of 101, he lived independently in an apartment overlooking Beacon Hill Park.
An active senior, he attends all the activity programs designed to keep both mind and body fit.
He said he has no regrets about the way his life unfolded, nothing he wanted to do but never got around to.
“I’ve done everything I should have done for a happy life. Although I would tell my younger self to not start smoking — that was a bad habit.”
He still enjoys a drink here and there. Last year, his daughter bought him a bottle of Crown Royal whiskey for his 107th birthday.
The next morning, he asked Cameron if he could have “a little extra” in his coffee.
And what would he like for this year’s birthday?
“Haven’t thought much about what I want for my birthday. You can surprise me, because surprises are fun,” he said.
On Saturday, his son and daughter, who have travelled from Ontario, will be there to help him celebrate.
He will be joined by fellow residents and staff, who have made a large banner and a special cake, and collected all the big band music they could find for the occasion.
Mandy Parker, vice-president for philanthropy and communication at Broadmead Care Society, calls Middleton “an unfailingly cheerful and kind-hearted person.”
“We are thrilled to be able to celebrate this milestone with him.”
Asked what advice he would give to young people, Middleton said: “Live and love your life.”
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