100 years young for Lady Margaret (From Chard & Ilminster News)

100 years young for Lady Margaret

11:28am Thursday 2nd September 2010 in News By Steve Sowden

AN ILMINSTER woman – who was a friend of the Queen Mother’s - has celebrated her 100th birthday.

Lady Margaret Tredgold moved to Muchelney House, the Yarlington Housing Group’s extra care scheme in Ilminster, seven years ago after leading an interesting life.

She was born in Kimberly, South Africa, and spent much of her childhood in Aliwal North on the Orange River.

Her second husband was Sir Robert Tredgold, chief justice of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

She was a trained teacher and talented artist. She illustrated several books including one on the Wild Flowers of Rhodesia that she presented to the Queen Mother in 1953.

The two shared correspondence for a number of years and met at Balmoral in Scotland and in Zimbabwe.

Lady Margaret, who can still often be found working on some wonderful silhouette drawings, has three children, ten grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Her daughter, Shirley Clatworthy, said: “Mother’s 100th birthday is a very proud achievement for all the family and is justice to the hardworking and wonderful life she has lived.”