When Mary Peace came into the world in 1912, few people would have expected her to reach 100.

She was born at home weighing only 2lb and was immediately put into a home-made incubator to be kept warm.

She said: “They put me in a shoebox on top of the oven – and I’m still here!”

Mrs Peace, who will celebrate her birthday tomorrow, was born the year the Titanic sank. She now lives in Eden Close, Wyke, just a few streets from where she was born, in Pearson Fold.

She worked in a munitions factory in Horbury, Wakefield, during the Second World War, and went on to raise three children on her own while holding down cleaning jobs. She is a grandmother of eight and a great-grandmother of six.

Mrs Peace said the key to reaching such an age was to “do what’s right”.

“I don’t think I’ve ever done any harm to anybody, ever,” she said.

Daughter Kath Halliwell said her mother was an inspiration to the whole family. She said: “She’s just an example to us all, she never has a bad word to say about anybody.”

Mrs Peace is celebrating her birthday with a big party for family and friends, some of whom are coming from the USA and Switzerland.