'Oldest man in Sheffield': Big day as great great granddad celebrates his 108th birthday

Not that cards from the monarch are anything new for Mr Mohammed, of Burngreave. He’s been getting them from The Queen for some years, and as he celebrates his 108th birthday today, his family reckon he is the longest living man in Sheffield.

Born five months after World War One broke out, in the area now called Indian-administered Jammu Kashmir, he survived the Spanish Flu epidemic in 1918 as well as the Covid-19 pandemic.

Indian partition

As a Muslim growing up in an Indian territory, he witnessed a lot of violence between Hindus and Muslims, forcing him to flee his home and migrate to Pakistan’s Azad Kahsmir.

He then joined the British Army and fought on the front line in Burma and other South-East Asian countries and still recounts stories of horror even after decades of the partition of India and Pakistan that left almost two million dead.

He also recalls when he was invited to work and live in the UK after his armed service, when he was granted British citizenship.

Sheffield steelworks

He worked in the steelworks in Sheffield and shared a two-bed house in Attercliffe with 14s, but said after moving to an unfamiliar land where most people had a different skin colour, he encountered racism in the 1950s.

Mr Mohammed first married before moving to the UK and he and his wife had one child, a daughter, who is now 66 years old.

He then went on to marry his second wife in the 1950s, Hajjah Khurshid Begum, but she died 11 years ago. He now has 23 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren – the youngest being Musa, born last year.

Daughter Shameem, 37, who works for the NHS, said her dad has been an inspiration to his children as he always treated them equally growing up.

She said: “I don’t know what I’d do without him. He’s been our biggest inspiration. When my marriage didn’t work out, my dad was my biggest supporter. He told me to get out of my little pothole, get out and enjoy life.

“I went into this career because of him. Without his support, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today,” she said.

Another daughter, Tasleem, 40, added: “Our dad encouraged us to go out and play with people who were different from us.

“Every Sunday, we would go to Christ Church and mingle with other ethnic backgrounds because he didn’t get that chance when he was young.

Secret of long life

Asked about his secret to longevity, Shameem said their dad only eats home-cooked meals.

She said: “He doesn’t eat takeaways. Always homemade food and one chapati. He won’t eat more than one chapati and that’s his evening meal with a homemade curry.

His youngest son, Khaleel, 34, said: “My father is very proud to have fought in World War II, and we are proud to have a military background in the family.”

Mr Mohammed has several souvenirs from his army days, even though some of his medals were unfortunately stolen.

Along with his medals, he has his army discharge papers, which note his ‘exemplary character’, and two birthday cards from the Queen in recognition of his 100th birthday and 106th birthdays.