Ethel Caterham, Doyenne of the UK, 115, recognized as the World’s Oldest Person
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) announces that Mrs. Ethel Caterham of the United Kingdom, aged 115, has become the WORLD’s OLDEST PERSON following the death of Inah Canabarro Lucas. Moreover the Gerontology Research Group informs that Mrs. Ethel Caterham is the last surviving person born in 1909. The case of Ethel Caterham was verified by Oliver Trim and Dr. Waclaw Jan Kroczek, and validated by the GRG as of Jan. 28, 2023.
Ethel Caterham, born on August 21, 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, England, and raised in Tidworth, Wiltshire, was the second-youngest of eight siblings. Notably, one of her sisters, Gladys Babilas (1897–2002), lived to be 104. In 1927, at the age of 18, Ethel embarked on a journey to India, working as a nanny for a British family. Her solo voyage to India by ship lasted three weeks, and she spent three years there before returning to England.
In 1931, Ethel Caterham met her future husband, Norman (1905–1976), a major in the British Army, at a dinner party. Their love story culminated in marriage at Salisbury Cathedral, where Norman had been a choirboy. They initially lived in Harnham, England, before being stationed in Hong Kong and Gibraltar.
During her time in Hong Kong, Ethel Caterham established a nursery for local and British children, where she taught English, games, and crafts. In Gibraltar, she and her husband started a family, ultimately raising two daughters in the UK. Sadly, Norman passed away in 1976.
Later Life
In her later life, Ethel Caterham has resided in Surrey, England, for over five decades. Remarkably, she continued to drive until she was 97 years old and remained an avid bridge player well into her centenarian years. Currently, she resides in a care home in Ash Vale, Surrey.
In 2020, at the age of 110, Ethel Caterham contracted COVID-19 during the global coronavirus pandemic. Fortunately, she made a successful recovery, becoming one of the oldest known survivors of the disease.
To celebrate her 111th birthday in August 2020, Ethel Caterham enjoyed a tea party and had a special visit from the Mayor of Surrey Heath. A week before this milestone, she and her granddaughter were interviewed on BBC Radio Surrey, providing a glimpse into her remarkable life and experiences.