Ethel Caterham

Ethel Caterham
Born
Ethel May Collins

(1909-08-21)21 August 1909
(age 115 years, 123 days)
Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, England, UK
Known for
  • Oldest living Briton (since 22 January 2022)
  • Last surviving subject of Edward VII
Spouse
Norman Caterham
​
​
(m. 1933; died 1976)​
Children2 (both deceased)

Ethel May Caterham (née Collins; born 21 August 1909) is a British supercentenarian who is the oldest living person in the United Kingdom and the last surviving subject of Edward VII.[1] She is also the oldest living European following the death of Maria Branyas Morera.[2] She is the second-oldest person to live in the United Kingdom, after Charlotte Hughes.

Personal life

Ethel May Caterham was born in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire on 21 August 1909 as the second-youngest of eight children, and was raised in Tidworth.[3] Her sister, Gladys Babilas (1897–2002), lived to 104.[1] In 1927, when she was 18, she went to British India and worked as an au pair to a military family until she was 21.[3][4] In 1931, she went back to England and met her future husband Norman Caterham at a party. They later married in Salisbury Cathedral, where Norman had been a choirboy.[1][3] They lived in Harnham before being stationed in Hong Kong and Gibraltar. While in Hong Kong, Ethel set up a nursery 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.[1]

Caterham drove until she was 97[5] and played contract bridge in her centenarian years.[1] Both of her daughters are now deceased;[5] she had lived in an extension in the home of her second daughter, Anne, until she died of cancer in February 2020, aged 82.[5] Caterham then moved into a care home in Ash Vale, Surrey, where she presently resides.[1][5][6]

Health and longevity

Caterham survived COVID-19 in 2020, aged 110.[7] On her 111th birthday in August 2020, she was visited by the mayor of Surrey Heath,[6] as she had been the oldest living resident of Surrey since January 2019.[8] Shortly before her 111th birthday, she 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."[6]

On 22 January 2022, upon the death of 112-year-old Mary "Mollie" Walker MBE,[9] Caterham became the oldest living person in the United Kingdom.[1][7] On 7 October of the same year, upon the death of 113-year-old Rose Eaton, Caterham became the last Briton born in the 1900s decade and the last surviving subject of Edward VII from any country.[1][7][10] She turned 114 in August 2023,[8][11] the first British resident to do so since Ethel Lang in 2014.[1]

As of 22 December 2024, Caterham is the third-oldest living person in the world and the oldest living European person since the death of Maria Branyas Morera.[7]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "Ethel Caterham – Gerontology Research Group". Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  2. ↑ "Ethel, 115, receives congratulations from King". BBC News. 2024-08-22. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "'Say yes to every opportunity' - 110-year-old reveals secrets to long life". Salisbury Journal. 2020-08-12. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  4. ↑ McEwan, Fergus (2015-09-03). "Ethel's 106th birthday bash sees mayor of Surrey Heath pay visit". Surrey Live. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Shute, Joe (2022-01-15). "The secret to living past 110, according to Britain's supercentenarians". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 SCC (2020-08-24). "Surrey's oldest resident Ethel, celebrates 111th birthday". Surrey News. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Ethel Caterham". LongeviQuest. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Albano, Rollan (2023-08-22). "Ethel Caterham, United Kingdom's Oldest Living Person, turned 114". LongeviQuest. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  9. ↑ "The Amazingly Long Life of a Remarkable Lady". Peppard News. 2019-02-16. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  10. ↑ "Tweet by Benjamin Butterworth". X (formerly Twitter). 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  11. ↑ "UKs Oldest Woman Wears a Crown to Open 114th Birthday Card from King Charles — See the Video!". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2024-04-11.