Ethel Caterham

BIOGRAPHY

Caterham was born in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, England, on 21 August 1909, and grew up in Tidworth, Wiltshire. She was the second youngest of eight children. Her older sister, Gladys Babilas (21 December 1897 – 9 March 2002), lived to be 104 years, 78 days old.

In 1927, at the age of 18, she began her first job as a nanny for a British family in India. Drawn by the allure of adventure and world travel, she made the three-week journey to India alone by ship. Reflecting on that time, she fondly recalled her experiences in India. She commented that they were waited on by servants and embraced both British traditions, like Christmas, and Indian customs, such as Tiffin and Tea. She worked as a nanny for four years, both in India and the UK, before meeting her future husband, Norman Caterham, a major in the British Army, at a dinner party in 1931.

In 1933, she married her husband Norman at Salisbury Cathedral, where Norman had been a choirboy. Her husband rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Royal Army Pay Corps, and the couple initially lived in Harnham, near Salisbury, before being stationed in Hong Kong and Gibraltar. While in Hong Kong, she established a nursery for local and British children, teaching English, games, and crafts. It was in Gibraltar that Ethel and Norman began their family, eventually raising two daughters (Gem and Anne) after returning to the Surrey area of the UK. She was widowed in 1976.

After her husband passed away, she inherited his Triumph Dolomite and continued driving it until the age of 97. She was a regular bridge player in her centenarian years. She outlived both of her daughters: Gem, who passed away in the early 2000s, and Anne, who died of cancer at the age of 82 in February 2020. At 115, she had three granddaughters and five great-grandchildren.

In 2020, at the age of 110, Caterham contracted COVID-19 during the coronavirus pandemic. However, she successfully recovered, making her one of the oldest known survivors of the disease.

Caterham celebrated her 111th birthday in August 2020 with a tea party and a visit from the Mayor of Surrey Heath. A week beforehand, she was interviewed along with her granddaughter on BBC Radio Surrey. For her 115th birthday in August 2024, a celebration was held at the care home where she resided, complete with balloons, cake, and professional entertainment. The event was attended by the Mayor of Surrey Heath, Councillor Sarbie Kang. To commemorate Ethel’s remarkable milestone, the care home team renovated a section of the garden and renamed it “Ethel’s Garden.”

When asked about the keys to longevity, she said: “Say yes to every opportunity because you never know what it will lead to. Have a positive mental attitude and have everything in moderation.” (Salisbury Journal)

At the age of 115, Ethel remains in good health. She enjoys participating in the many activities organised by her care home including attending a party to celebrate the home’s 10th anniversary. She enjoyed Christmas 2024 with fellow residents and wore a Santa hat on Christmas Day.

RECOGNITION

Caterham became the oldest known living person in the county of Surrey aged 109, following the death of fellow 109-year-old Kay Hurley on 17 January 2019. She became the oldest Surrey resident ever in August 2021 after surpassing the age of Ellen Watson.

On 29 September 2020, Caterham surpassed the age of World War I veteran Harry Patch to enter the top 100 oldest residents of the United Kingdom in history.

Caterham became the oldest living person in the United Kingdom following the 22 January 2022 death of 112-year-old Mollie Walker.

In August 2022, Caterham celebrated her 113th birthday, making her the first person in the United Kingdom to reach this age since Olive Boar in 2017. The following year, she became the first Briton since Ethel Lang in 2014 to celebrate their 114th birthday.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022, Caterham became one of only two people in the United Kingdom, along with two-days-younger Rose Eaton, to have been a subject of both Edward VII and Charles III. Following Eaton’s death on 7 October 2022, Caterham became the last living person in the United Kingdom to have been born in the 1900s decade and also the last surviving subject of Edward VII worldwide.

Upon the death of Frenchwoman Lucile Randon on 17 January 2023, Caterham became Europe’s second-oldest resident after María Branyas Morera of Spain. However, as Branyas Morera was born in the United States, Caterham became the oldest European-born person after Randon’s death.

Caterham’s age was verified by Stefan Maglov and validated by LongeviQuest on 31 January 2023. Her age was previously validated by the European Supercentenarian Organisation (ESO).

On 13 March 2023, upon the death of Ada Thompson, Caterham outlived every Briton born in 1910.

In July 2023, Caterham surpassed the age of Olive Boar to enter the top 10 oldest people to reside in the United Kingdom.

On 17 March 2024, at the age of 114 years, 209 days, she surpassed the final age of Anna Eliza Williams (1873–1987), becoming the fifth-oldest person ever to have lived in the UK, according to data curated by Oldest in Britain.

On 2 April 2024, following the passing of 114-year-old Juan Vicente Pérez Mora of Venezuela, she became the fifth-oldest living person in the world. On 19 August, following the passing of 117-year-old María Branyas Morera, she moved up to fourth place and became the oldest living person in Europe. On 22 October, following the passing of Elizabeth Francis, she moved up to third place. On 29 December 2024, following Tomiko Itooka‘s passing, she moved up to second place.