BELIEVED TO be the oldest man in Great Britain — if not in Europe — Mr Stanley Lucas died in St Hilary Residential Home, Bude, at the grand age of 110, having spent the whole of his life living within the Bude district.  

He was born into a farming family on January 15, 1900, at Rectory Farm, Morwenstow, having two brothers and two sisters. Farming and everything that went with it was to be his life and in his 110 years he has seen farming techniques change in a dramatic way.

When he was eight, the family moved to Great Beer Farm, Marhamchurch and he attended the local school until he was 14, when he stepped out to a career in farming by working on his father's farm. It was in 1926, that Stanley married Ivy Nancekivell at Whitstone Methodist Church and he took over the running of the farm at Great Beer. With Ivy he saw nearly 40 years of happy marriage until her death in 1963.

Within the circle of farming, Stanley was a co-founder and leader of Stratton Young Farmers' Club in 1937 and became well known as a breeder of Devon cattle and Devon Longwool sheep. This saw him judge twice at the Royal Smithfield Show in London. In 1943 he started a dairy herd and was the first in the area to produce Tuberculin tested milk. He avidly supported the Holsworthy and Stratton Show and was President in 1963.

Great Beer Farm was sold in 1948 and Stanley and his family moved to White Gates in Poughill, next to the Metho­dist Church. His life was committed to the Christian faith and Methodism and he was Senior Steward of the Bude Circuit between 1960 and 1964. He became a member of Bude Town Council, serving from 1959 to 1970 and was chairman to many of the council committees as well as vice chairman to the council. During these years he was a key player in Poughill's successful bids to become one of the best kept villages in Cornwall and he was chairman of Poughill Revel and Cuckoo Fair.

Sport played a major part in his life and he was a keen supporter of Plymouth Argyle and his love for the game of football commenced when he played for Bridgerule AFC. He was also a noted bowls player and started to play for the Bude Club in 1950 and captained the club in 1970 — and at the age of 100, he was still playing.

For some years Stanley lived with his daughter Phyllis and her husband Gordon Stevens at White Gates, Poughill until 2007, since when he has resided at St Hilary. Besides his daughter he leaves two grandchildren and four great grandchildren.