A WOMAN who was Basingstoke’s first female bus conductor has died just weeks after celebrating her 100th birthday.

Winifred Toms, known as Winnie, appeared in The Gazette last month when she marked her 100th birthday with five generations of her family, at Pemberley House, in Grove Road, Basingstoke.

Winnie was born in Canada before moving to Basingstoke at the age of seven, where she stayed until her death on February 10.

Her first job was working at Burberry, where she hand-stitched waxed button holes at the now famous fashion brand, which opened its very first store in Basingstoke.

When war broke out, Winnie offered her time to support the efforts back home, and she replaced the man’s role as a bus conductor, becoming the first woman to take on this job in the town.

She continued working for the bus company until she retired aged 60, although she spent the final few years working in an office.

Winnie was happily married to Alex, who worked for the fire service and on the buses, before eventually taking a job with Smiths Industries.

Alex died aged 81 in 1995.

Winnie lived for many years in Portacre Rise, Kings Furlong, before moving to Pemberley House in August 2013.

As reported in The Gazette, Winnie was joined by family and friends to celebrate her centenary birthday on December 29, when she received a special card from The Queen to mark the milestone.

But the party ended up being a final get-together for the centenarian and all her family - she died just six weeks later after fighting a bronchopneumonia infection.

Her niece Eunice Kew said: “She so loved her photo in The Gazette.”

The 85-year-old, from Cranbourne, added: “She was such a sweet lady and always had a smile and happy face and was known as ‘smiler’ at the home. She was even known to race down the corridor with her frame. There was no stopping Winnie.

“She has spent many happy months in their loving care and it has contributed to her reaching her 100th year.

“Her happy, sweet ways and her kindness and loving way will be missed so much, she was such an inspiration to us all.”

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