A LOVING son is sharing the fascinating life of his mother, who lived to the age of 105 and travelled the world.

Mary Gardiner was born on the Coronation Day of George V - June 22 1911 - and lived through the reign of four monarchs and 25 prime ministers.

Her experiences include working as a nurse abroad and postings around the world with her military husband.

Originally from Berkshire, Mrs Gardiner grew up in a musical household with a music teacher father singing “anything he could sing” around the house.

During the Second World War Mrs Gardiner joined the nursing service in India where she met her husband David Edward Leslie Gardiner.

Mr Gardiner, who died in 1994, was in the army and through his 23 years of service rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

The couple got married in 1943 but didn’t return to Britain until 1946 when the war was over.

They had two children, Ann and Anthony, and moved to Weymouth in 1973.

Mrs Gardiner then welcomed seven grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

Last June Mrs Gardiner celebrated her 105th birthday.

Sadly Mrs Gardiner passed away last week and her son Tony said that he wanted to share they story of his mother’s interesting life and all that she experienced over the years.

He said: “She trained as a nursing sister in the Middlesex Hospital in central London, joined the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps at the start of the war and was posted to India, where she nursed, and then married, David - who had been born in Wyke.

“After postings in Catterick, Singapore, Sheffield, Hong Kong, and France, they lived in Hampton for 10 years before retiring to Weymouth.

“They lived first in Preston, then moved to Greenhill.

“When David died, Mary was fortunate in being accepted by the Devenish Trust - and lived in Devenish Close until just after Christmas, when she moved into Legh House in Rylands Lane.”

A memorial service for Mrs Gardiner will be held on Saturday at 2pm St Nicholas’s Church on Buxton Road, Weymouth.