AS A multi-linguist by trade and a computer whizz by interest, Lindsay Little is a man of many talents and this week he celebrated yet another achievement – by turning 100.

The White Lodge Care Home resident was surrounded by his family, including sons Tony and Andrew and his three grandchildren, on Friday for a special party to mark the momentous birthday which passed on Thursday.

Growing up in London, Lindsay spent the majority of his childhood there and attended Stationers’ Company’s School after securing a place through a scholarship.

While there, he started to learn foreign languages including Polish, Danish and Arabic which led to him secure a job on the international switchboard where he monitored phonecalls between diplomats.

He joined the army in 1939, aged 22, as part of the Royal Corp Signals and was on the frontline for the Fall of France during the Second World War.

Lindsay’s son Tony, 64 who lives in Highworth, said despite his father joining the army at a young age, it paved way for a long-lasting career which he thoroughly enjoyed.

“Because he can speak eight languages, he has done all sorts things and in 1946 he went out to Germany to help the army translate interviews and interrogations,” he added.

“When he came back he became a civil servant and he has done so much but there are still a few things he has done over the years which he won’t tell us about – god knows why.”

With a keen eye for technology during his time in the army, Lindsay invented a device which helped look at nuclear fallout risks depending on where a bomb landed - an achievement which Tony said his father is immensely proud of. Almost 70 years later, Lindsay is still considered to be a technology whizz, mastering a knowledge of how to use a computer at the care home.

After the war Lindsay met his wife Phyllis as they both worked as civil servants. The couple retired to Ramsbury but in the years that followed, Phyllis’ dementia worsened which saw the couple move into White Lodge in Braydon in 2006 and five years later, she sadly died.

Lindsay hopes to mark his 101st birthday with a bigger party with his family.