by Beth Robson

brobson@thekmgroup.co.uk

A family is celebrating the birth of the first baby girl in 113 years!

Five generations have passed in the Beckett family since a girl was delivered.

Now Ernest Beckett, 96, is delighted to hold his great-grandaughter.

Ernest, who lives at Wayfarers Residential Home in Sandwich, welcomed baby Anaia recently - who weighed in at a bouncing 7lb 7oz.

The last baby girl born to the Beckett family was Ernest's aunt Muriel, born in Anmer, Norfolk, in 1898.

Ernest said: "She was one of 10 children that my grandparents had, but I have no real memory of her. She was my father's sister."

Proud parents Gary and Satish, from Ramsgate, visited Ernest with four-day-old Anaia and her very proud big brother Ethan, seven.

Ernest said: "Ethan seemed very happy about it when I saw them.

"He said she was keeping him up at night."

Ernest was in the Royal Engineers for six years from 1940, starting his service in Norway and later in Northern Ireland.

He was married his wife Gladys for 53 years and together they had one son, Dennis, Anaia's grandfather.

As well as being the first girl for five generations, Anaia's birth marks the first generation to have more than one child since Ernest and his twin brother were born in 1915. Sadly his brother died aged six months.

Born in Royden, Norfolk, Ernest became a postmaster in Norwich.

He moved to Ramsgate to be with his grandson, but moved to the Sandwich care home four months ago.

Although he has no memory of his aunt Muriel, he remembers her parents, his grandparents, who lived in Flitcham, part of the Royal Sandringham Estate.

"I remember the postmaster of the village sold antiques.

"I was in the post office one day and Queen Mary came in because she bought a lot of antiques," he said.

Susan Harrison, manager at Wayfarers, said: "When the news came through Ernest enjoyed a celebratory tipple with fellow residents at Wayfarers.

"He had a cuddle with her when she was four days old."