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Ethel Caterham

Ethel May Caterham (née Collins; born 21 August 1909) is a British supercentenarian who, at the age of 115 years, 263 days, is the world's oldest known living person since the death of Inah Canabarro Lucas on 30 April 2025, as well as the oldest British person ever.[1]

Personal life

Ethel May Collins was born in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, England, on 21 August 1909[2] as the second-youngest of eight children, and was raised in Tidworth, Wiltshire.[3] Her sister, Gladys Babilas (1897–2002), lived to be 104.[4] In 1927, aged 18, she went on a voyage to British India and worked as an au pair to a military family until she was 21.[3][5]

In 1931, after returning to England, she met her future husband Norman Caterham (1905–1976) at a dinner party. They later married in Salisbury Cathedral, where Norman had been a choirboy.[4][3] He later became a lieutenant colonel in the Royal Army Pay Corps,[5] and the couple lived in Harnham, Salisbury before being stationed in Hong Kong and Gibraltar. While in Hong Kong, Ethel set up a nursery school to teach English, crafts and games, and in Gibraltar, the couple had two daughters who they raised back in England.[3] Norman died in 1976.[4]

Caterham drove until she was 97[6] and enjoys playing contract bridge in her centenarian years.[4] Both of her daughters pre-deceased her;[6] she had lived in an extension in the home of her second daughter, Anne, until Anne died in February 2020, aged 82.[6] Afterwards, Caterham moved into a care home in Ash Vale, Surrey,[7] and later to one in Lightwater.[8]

Health and longevity

Caterham survived COVID-19 in 2020, aged 110.[1]

Shortly before her 111th birthday, Caterham and her granddaughter were interviewed by BBC Radio Surrey, where she said that the secret to her longevity was "taking everything in my stride, the highs and the lows."[7]

On her 111th birthday in August 2020, Caterham was visited by the mayor of Surrey Heath,[7] as she had been the oldest living resident of Surrey since January 2019.[9]

On 22 January 2022, following the death of Mary "Mollie" Walker at 112 years and 351 days,[10] Caterham became the oldest living person in the United Kingdom.[4][1] On 7 October of the same year, following the death of Rose Eaton, Caterham became the last surviving British person born during the reign of King Edward VII.[4][1][11] Upon turning 115 in August 2024,[8][12] she became the third British person to ever reach this age, and the first since Annie Jennings over two decades earlier in 1999.[13]

She is currently the world's oldest living person, as well as the last living person born in the 1900s decade.[14][15][16]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Ethel Caterham". LongeviQuest. Archived from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Ethel, 115, receives congratulations from King". BBC News. 23 August 2024. Archived from the original on 7 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d "'Say yes to every opportunity' - 110-year-old reveals secrets to long life". Salisbury Journal. 12 August 2020. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Ethel Caterham – Gerontology Research Group". Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b McEwan, Fergus (3 September 2015). "Ethel's 106th birthday bash sees mayor of Surrey Heath pay visit". Surrey Live. Archived from the original on 11 May 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Shute, Joe (15 January 2022). "The secret to living past 110, according to Britain's supercentenarians". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  7. ^ a b c SCC (24 August 2020). "Surrey's oldest resident Ethel, celebrates 111th birthday". Surrey News. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  8. ^ a b Williamson, Lucy (22 August 2024). "UK's oldest woman celebrates 115th at Surrey home". Surrey Live. Archived from the original on 11 May 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  9. ^ Albano, Rollan (22 August 2023). "Ethel Caterham, United Kingdom's Oldest Living Person, turned 114". LongeviQuest. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  10. ^ "The Amazingly Long Life of a Remarkable Lady". Peppard News. 16 February 2019. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  11. ^ "Tweet by Benjamin Butterworth". X (formerly Twitter). 18 October 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Lightwater: Woman celebrates 115th birthday in Surrey care home". BBC News. 22 August 2024. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  13. ^ Maglov, Stefan (21 August 2024). "Europe's Oldest Person, UK's Ethel Caterham, turns 115". LongeviQuest. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  14. ^ "World Supercentenarian Rankings List – Gerontology Research Group". Archived from the original on 2 May 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  15. ^ Martin, Anthony Robledo and Saleen. "Ethel Caterham is officially the oldest person alive. What's her secret to longevity?". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 4 May 2025. Retrieved 4 May 2025. She is also the last surviving person born in the 1900s.
  16. ^ "British woman who survived two World Wars becomes world's oldest person aged 115". Yahoo News. 1 May 2025. Retrieved 4 May 2025. She is the oldest known Briton to ever live and the last surviving subject of Edward VII and the last known living person to be born in the 1900s.