'Extraordinary' WW2 veteran dies aged 100

Cicely Ball has died aged 100

The son of a West Sussex veteran of World War Two has paid tribute to her after she died aged 100.

Cicely Ball was among the last surviving veterans of the Allies' campaign in Burma, now Myanmar, during the conflict.

Mrs Ball, who served in the Royal Air Force and the Army, passed away in early April.

Her son Chris Austen said she was "a truly extraordinary person".

Mrs Ball lived in India when war broke out and left school aged 17 - as soon as she was old enough - to join the Royal Air Force, where she worked as a radiographer taking X-ray images.

She later moved to the Army and was promoted to Warrant Officer, according to Mr Austen.

He said his mum rarely talked about her military service "because she just thought her part in the whole thing was so small" and she "got on with life, as so many of that generation did".

Mrs Ball kept a notebook from her wartime service containing items written by different people, however.

Mr Austen recalled reading a poem from the book to his mum, who had Alzheimer's in her later years.

He said: "As I was reading it she took over. She remembered the words by heart and she burst into tears.

"It obviously brought back some memory of something at that stage. I could never find out what it was."

Tenzing Norgay's neighbour

After World War Two, Mrs Ball went into secretarial work, eventually becoming a personal assistant.

She initially remained living in India and was sent with her son to live in Darjeeling.

Their house - next door to Tenzing Norgay, who summited Mount Everest with Edmund Hillary in 1953 for the first time ever - was only accessible on horseback.

Mr Austen and his mum moved to England, travelling by steamship, in the 1950s.

Mrs Ball's house in Darjeeeling was only accessible on horseback

Mrs Ball started her own company in the 1980s offering secretarial services using a word processor, a new technology at the time.

She moved to Rustington in 1995 after her husband died to be nearer her son, and became involved in her local Catholic church.

Mr Austen said: "She was a very popular parishioner there, right until her Alzheimer's became too much of a burden for her to carry."

She also "loved classical music, opera and literature".

Mr Austen added that she was "thrilled to bits" to receive a card from the King when she turned 100, as well as a letter from the prime minister thanking her for her military service.

"I feel very privileged to have her as my mother," Mr Austen said.

In addition to her son, Mrs Ball is survived by two grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.