Former secretary to Winston Churchill Else Kirkaldy has died aged 103.

Mrs Kirkaldy moved to West Lavington in 1963 after a life spent travelling the world with her soldier husband Jack. She became a widow in 1974 when Lt Col Kirkaldy, a founder member of the Wiltshire Trust for Nature Conservation, died.

Three years ago she celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends at Dauntsey House Nursing Home in West Lavington, where she had lived since 2004.

Both Mrs Kirkaldy’s parents were Norwegian but they moved to England to find employment and she was born in London.

At her 100th birthday celebrations she revealed her first memories included hiding in the cellar in London during Zeppelin raids and the celebrations at the end of the First World War.

As a young woman in the 1930s she was employed for a time as one of the secretaries to MP Winston Churchill before he became Prime Minister.

She worked for him at his London home and at his country house at Chartwell in Kent. He often dictated his books to her.

Mrs Kirkaldy said three years ago: “It was a great honour to work for Winston Churchill. He treated even juniors like myself as family.”

Mrs Kirkaldy also worked at Conservative Party headquarters with MPs including RA Butler and Duncan Sandys.

Later she worked as a secretary at the BBC along with such presenters as Richard Dimbleby, Alva Liddell and Kenneth Wolstenhome.

In the Second World War Mrs Kirkaldy became a Land Girl and gained a commission in the WRAF where she was a PE instructor.

She and her husband-to-be had walked out together for a while in the 1930s but had lost touch when he went to India. By chance she happened to see his name in a list of wounded in North Africa in The Times in 1941. They started a correspondence and he proposed by letter in 1946.

They agreed to meet at the Savoy in London for breakfast and got married by special licence at Caxton Hall register office two days later.

Mrs Kirkaldy, who moved to Urchfont in 1979, was active in many local organisations including the WI, the Mothers’ Union and local Conservative associations.

Her son, John, is a former Kennet district councillor for the Woodborough ward. Her daughter, Sue, owned and ran the sandwich shop, Fax-a-Snack in Devizes until her death from cancer in 2005.

Mrs Kirkaldy also leaves four grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Her main interests were music and reading.

Her son said: “Mum was a real life enhancer with a great sense of fun. They don’t make them like that anymore.”

Mrs Kirkaldy’s funeral will be held at 1.15pm on Monday at West Lavington Church.