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Ethel Caterham

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Ethel Caterham
Ethel Caterham in her supercentenarian years
Born
Ethel May Collins

(1909-08-21)21 August 1909
(115 years, 330 days old)
Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, England
Known for
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 known living person since 30 April 2025. She is also 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]

Personal life

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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, and later to care home in Lightwater, Surrey where she presently resides.[1][5][6]

Health and longevity

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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 17 July 2025, Caterham is the oldest living person in the world after the death of the Brazilian Inah Canabarro Lucas and the oldest living European person since the death of Maria Branyas Morera.[7] She is the oldest ever UK-citizen.

Ranking

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  • August 21, 2019 - Celebrated 110th birthday.
  • August 21, 2020 - Celebrated 111th birthday.
  • June 6, 2021 - Lilian Priest died. This led her to become the third oldest living person in United Kingdom.
  • July 28, 2021 - Gertrude Kingston died. This made her the second oldest living person in the United Kingdom.
  • August 21, 2021 - Celebrated 112th birthday.
  • January 22, 2022 - Mollie Walker died. Ethel Caterham, aged 112 years, 154 days, became the oldest living person in United Kingdom.
  • August 21, 2022 - Celebrated 113th birthday.
  • October 7, 2022 - Rose Eaton died. She became the last person in Britain to be born in the 1900s.
  • August 21, 2023 - Celebrated 114th birthday.
  • February 22, 2024 - Edith Ceccarelli died. This made her the sixth oldest living person in the world.
  • March 31, 2024 - Gisaburo Sonobe died which led her to become the last person born before 1911.
  • April 2, 2024 - Juan Vicente Pérez died. This made her the 5th oldest living person in the world.
  • June 29, 2024 - Shi Ping died which led her to become the last person born before 1911.
  • August 16, 2024 - Ethel Caterham surpassed the record by beating Eva Morris (114 years, 360 days). This made her the third oldest living person in the United Kingdom.
  • August 19, 2024 - Maria Branyas Morera died. This led her to become the oldest living person in Europe born in the 1900s.
  • August 21, 2024 - Celebrated 115th birthday.
  • August 23, 2024 - Ethel Caterham surpassed the record by beating Anonymous of Hyōgo (115 years, 1 days).
  • August 27, 2024 - Charlotte Kretschmann died. She became the last person in Europe born in the 1900s.
  • August 30, 2024 - Ethel Caterham surpassed the record by beating Annie Jennings (115 years, 8 days) which led her to become the second oldest living person in the United Kingdom.
  • September 3, 2024 - Ethel Caterham surpassed the record by beating Chiyono Hasegawa (115 years, 12 days).
  • September 12, 2024 - Mary Florence Walker died which led her to become the last person born before 1911.
  • October 3, 2024 - Ethel Caterham surpassed the record by beating Marie Bremont (115 years, 42 days).
  • October 22, 2024 - Elizabeth Francis died which made her the 3rd oldest living person in the world.
  • October 23, 2024 - Ethel Caterham surpassed the record by beating Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper (115 years, 62 days).
  • November 4, 2024 - Ethel Caterham surpassed the record by beating Valentine Ligny (115 years, 74 days).
  • November 9, 2024 - Ethel Caterham surpassed the record by beating Augusta Holtz (115 years, 79 days).
  • November 11, 2024 - Ethel Caterham surpassed the record by beating Casilda Benegas Gallego (115 years, 81 days).
  • November 17, 2024 - Ethel Caterham surpassed the record by beating Elizabeth Francis (115 years, 89 days).
  • November 25, 2024 - John Tinniswood died which led to her becoming the last peron in the United Kingdom born before 1912.
  • December 17 2024 - Mary Keir died which led to her becoming the last peron in the United Kingdom born before 1912.
  • December 18, 2024 - Fujiko Mihara died. which led her to become the last person born before 1910.
  • December 24, 2024 - Claudia Baccarini died which led her to become the last person born before 1910.
  • December 29, 2024 - Tomiko Itooka died which made her the second oldest living person in the world.
  • January 19, 2025 - Ethel Caterham surpassed the record by beating Shin Matsushita (115 years, 150 days).
  • March 30, 2025 - Ethel Caterham surpassed the record by beating Edna Parker (115 years, 220 days).
  • April 7, 2025 - Ethel Caterham, aged 115 years, 229 days, finally surpassed Charlotte Hughes's final age and became the oldest person ever residing in the United Kingdom.
  • April 26, 2025 - Okagi Hayashi died which made her one of the last surviving people born in the 1900s decade which also resulted in her becoming the sole survivor of the year 1909.
  • April 30, 2025 - Inah Canabarro Lucas died. Ethel Caterham, aged 115 years, 252 days, became the world's oldest living person and the last person born in the 1900s decade.
  • May 1, 2025 - Ethel Caterham surpased the record by beating Christian Mortensen (115 years, 252 days).
  • May 4, 2025 - Ethel Caterham surpased the record by beating Shimoe Akiyama (115 years, 255 days).
  • May 6, 2025 - Ethel Caterham surpased the record by beating Dina Manfredini (115 years, 257 days).
  • May 20, 2025 - Mine Kondo died which led her to become the last person born before 1910.
  • May 21, 2025 - Masu Usui died which led her to become the last person born before 1910.
  • June 20, 2025 - Marita Camacho Quiros died. This made her the last living person born before 1911.
  • July 7, 2025 - Ethel Caterham surpased the record by beating Maggie Barnes (115 years, 319 days).
  • July 11, 2025 - Donald Rose died which led her to become the last living person born before 1914.
  • July 16, 2025 - Francesca Fioriglio died which led her to become the last person in Europe born before 1911.
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References

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  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. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. 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.
Records
Preceded by
Inah Canabarro Lucas 		Oldest verified living person
since 30 April 2025 		Incumbent
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