Nine months to the day before guns fell silent on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, effectively ending World War I, Monica Agnew-Kinnaman was born in Britain.

She grew up in the north-central county of Yorkshire and heard stories of uncles who served in World War I — one she said was highly decorated for taking on a German machine gun nest alone — and an aunt who served in Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service that died in Egypt during the war.

By the time Britain and France declared war on Germany in September 1939 after Austrian-born German dictator Adolf Hitler invaded Poland, Agnew-Kinnaman had already been volunteering as a nurse at an area hospital for more than a year.

She later joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service — the women’s branch of the British Army – and eventually became an anti-aircraft artillery officer defending London from German bombers.

Agnew-Kinnaman and a few others from the “greatest generation” are planning to be at The National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs at noon Saturday. The public is invited and encouraged to attend. Adult admission is $17 and more information about pricing is available at worldwariiaviation.org.

Gene Pfeffer, museum historian and curator is planning a short presentation about the role British women played in defense of their country, including Agnew-Kinnaman, who often goes by “Nikki.” She turned 104 on Friday.

“Women stepped up to do what they needed to defend their country,” said Pfeffer, a retired Air Force colonel. “It was a time of great national crisis. They thought they were going to get invaded. Their cities were being bombed.”

During the last few years of the war, Agnew-Kinnaman was based along an estuary of the River Thames.

“My job was to take turns directing the fire,” she said. “When we were on target, say fire, and the guns fire. When it was out of range, you said, cease loading.

“When you’re in action you never thought of anything really but trying to shoot down a German. I don’t remember being afraid at the time because we were too busy with what we were doing.”

Agnew-Kinnaman wasn’t the only one in her family to serve in World War II. She said her older sister worked espionage in Egypt and her older brother was a doctor who was taken prisoner and held for three years.

Agnew-Kinnaman was taken out of active service in January 1946.

“The officers were not discharged,” Agnew-Kinnaman said. “We were all demobilized which meant I could be called back now,” she said with a laugh.

She met her husband, Glenn Kinnaman — an American veteran who fought on Omaha Beach during the Normandy Invasion — and moved to Colorado Springs in 1955.

She has two children — a son and daughter — who both live nearby. Both are authors. Not to be outdone, Agnew-Kinnaman is an author who has written several children’s books about an Old English Sheepdog named Samson.

“Both of my children are very proud of me and I’m very proud of them,” Agnew-Kinnaman said. “We are a very close family.”

Between the ages of 50 and around 70, Agnew-Kinnaman decided to pursue and earn a doctorate in psychology.

“My brother was a doctor, my father was a doctor; maybe I felt come competition to be a doctor too,” Agnew-Kinnaman said with a smile.