What is the secret to living past 100? Most people would say vegetables, daily exercise, and a well-maintained sleep cycle. But Owen Filer, who is 107 and believed to be the oldest man in Wales, has a simpler and much ‘tastier’ answer: as he says, it is fish and chips.Owen lives in Cwmbran, Torfaen, and has seen more than a century of history. He is a World War Two veteran who was stationed in India when the war ended. Even now, he gets up each morning, puts on a clean shirt and tie, and starts the day with purpose.
Wales’ oldest man, 107, says fish and chips and “proper” living are secrets behind his long life
Owen Filer, a 107-year-old World War Two veteran from Cwmbran in Torfaen, believes regular trips to the chip shop have helped him live this long. He spoke at a celebration on Friday, ahead of his birthday on Monday. According to a BBC report, he said, “I’ve never overeaten… I lived on fish and chips,” describing his preferred meal as “Fish and chips, a full meal, a scoop full of chips and a fish.”Apart from the food, Owen says there is “no secret” to a long life. “No secret recipe, except that I always worked all my life,” he added. Explaining further, he says, “You just live properly, and I’ve always done it.”His favourite meal comes with one complaint. He says the fish he likes, “genuine” cod or hake, has become too expensive.
Owens has also served in India as Military Police
Born in 1919, Owen served with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and the Military Police. He was in India on VJ Day, or Victory over Japan Day, in 1945. He has four children, 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. His daughter Anne Messore, 80, was at the celebration along with military personnel.SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, presented him with a commemorative shield to recognise his military service. He also got a red-carpet welcome at Market Hall Cinema in Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, which claims to be the oldest cinema in Wales. There he chose a screening of the 1955 comedy One Good Turn, starring one of his favourite actors, Norman Wisdom.
Owen was thoughtful when asked how it felt to turn 107.
He said: “I thought it would be a better world I would be living in, but I didn’t think I’d ever make it.” He also remembered a hard childhood, saying his family did not think “about old age” in the early 20th century. “We had no food, we had no money,” he said.However, not everyone around him was surprised by his long life. Darren Foote, a fellow veteran who helped organise the event, said Owen did not understand why people were making “a fuss of him; he doesn’t get it at all”. According to Foote, “He’s just a really nice, down-to-earth guy.”Foote also spoke about Owen’s daily routine. “He still gets up in the morning, he puts a clean shirt on, puts his tie on, cleans his shoes, and he gets up with purpose,” he said. “I think we can all take a leaf out of his book on that one, for sure.”Owen himself says he has met many people who admired him and asked how he does it. Talking of which, he said, “How I got here I’ll never know, but I’ve met a lot of people who have admired me and asked me how I do it.”