Ethel Caterham

British supercentenarian (born 1909)

Ethel Caterham

Born|

Ethel May Collins

(1909-08-21)21 August 1909
(115 years, 255 days old)

Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, England

Known for|

* Oldest known living person (since 30 April 2025)
* Oldest ever British person

Spouse|

Norman Caterham

(m. 1933; died 1976)​

Children| 2

Ethel May Caterham (née Collins; born 21 August 1909) is a British supercentenarian who, at the age of 115 years, 255 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 ever British person.[1]

Caterham is the last known living person to have been a subject of King Edward VII, as well as the last living person to have been born in the 1900s decade.

## Personal life

[edit]

Ethel May Caterham 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

[edit]

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,[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.[14]

## See also

[edit]

* Oldest people
* List of the verified oldest people
* List of British supercentenarians

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Ethel Caterham". LongeviQuest. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
2. ^ "Ethel, 115, receives congratulations from King". BBC News. 23 August 2024. 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. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
4. ^ a b c d e f "Ethel Caterham – Gerontology Research Group". 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. 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. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
7. ^ a b c SCC (24 August 2020). "Surrey's oldest resident Ethel, celebrates 111th birthday". Surrey News. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
8. ^ a b Williamson, Lucy (22 August 2024). "UK's oldest woman celebrates 115th at Surrey home". Surrey Live. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
9. ^ Albano, Rollan (22 August 2023). "Ethel Caterham, United Kingdom's Oldest Living Person, turned 114". LongeviQuest. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
10. ^ "The Amazingly Long Life of a Remarkable Lady". Peppard News. 16 February 2019. 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. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
13. ^ Maglov, Stefan (21 August 2024). "Europe's Oldest Person, UK's Ethel Caterham, turns 115". LongeviQuest. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
14. ^ "World Supercentenarian Rankings List – Gerontology Research Group". Retrieved 30 August 2024.

*[m.]: married