Despite living more than 80 miles apart, Britain’s oldest twins, who celebrated their 101st birthday in June, still meet up every week.
Edith Dumbleton and Dorcas Tobin were born on June 28, 1920, in Banbury, England, at their family home. The nonidentical sisters have seen 25 prime ministers and four kings come and go.
“It’s fantastic we’ve gotten to this age because we don’t know anyone else approaching 100, so it’s been incredible for us,” Edith, who is 45 minutes older than Dorcas, said. “We’re still going strong and making the best of it.”
They have 5 children, 13 grandchildren, and 22 great-grandchildren between them.
The twin siblings came from a “humble background,” according to Edith’s daughter, Christine Bemand, 67, who presently lives with her mother, and their father was an engineer. Unfortunately, their father died while the twins were just three years old.
“Their mother raised the five children as a single mother, so it was a thrifty childhood that doesn’t appear to have harmed them,” Christine added.
When the sisters were 14, they dropped out of school to work in family homes performing housework until the Second World War broke out.
“That was their chance to break out, and both of them went to work for Switch Guard, which produced explosives parts,” Christine explained. “Dorcas didn’t like it all and joined the Land Army, but my mother stayed in the company and met my father after the war.”
“All my life I’ve lived in Banbury save from when I was in the Land Army. It was one of the most wonderful occasions of my life. It was a lot of fun for me. “You were out in the open,” Dorcas observed. “We didn’t hear any bombardment except from the one dropped in the canal since we were in the Land Army.”
Edith and Frederick were married for 50 years till he died 15 years ago at the age of 89. Frederick, Kenneth, and Christine were the couple’s three children.
Dorcas had been married to Horace, a professional firefighter, for 33 years. Robert and Susan were the couple’s two children. Horace passed away at the age of 80.
Christine claimed she would go with her mother to Dorcas’ house and play with her cousins because Edith and Dorcas lived on different sides of Banbury.
Christine also said that the two sisters used to take annual vacations to Bournemouth with their spouses until Dorcas’ husband Horace died 30 years ago.
The twins continued to live together on the same road in Banbury until Edith’s health deteriorated eight years ago, when she moved in with her daughter’s family.
“She’s nearly blind and has mobility challenges,” Christine explained.
According to Christine, Dorcas and Edith were never pampered by the finer things in life, and their food was simple but sufficient.
“It wasn’t a fancy diet or anything,” Christine explained. “Because their life expectations were realistic, they haven’t been stung by self-inflicted disappointments.”
Furthermore, because of their thrifty lifestyle, they were able to save money for rainy days.
“I’m grateful that even though we’ve led modest lives, there’s been a lot to appreciate along the way,” Dorcas added. “We’ve had hard moments, but we’ve also had a lot of happy times and enjoyed our lives.
“Because we never had much, we couldn’t lose anything, and that has left us fairly stress-free.”
The two sisters make the most of what they have by spending time with each other once a week. Dorcas goes from Banbury, Oxfordshire, to Leominster, Herefordshire, every Tuesday, despite the fact that they live two hours apart.
“They like seeing one other and like to bring each other small presents; it’s extremely important to them,” Christine explained. “When Dorcas comes around, she usually brings a bread pudding she’s cooked or a few tomatoes, and my mom always wants to go out and get Dorcas a chocolate bar.”
Until the lockdown last year, the devoted pair celebrated every birthday together. They did, however, celebrate their postponed 100th anniversary with family members at a Worcestershire pub in June.
Christine admires their unbreakable link and feels that because they are so ancient and most of their friends have died, they have become a “diminishing band,” which she believes fosters the “closeness.”
Dorcas, who survived cancer alongside her sister Edith, said the two are doing exceptionally well for their age. Dorcas shares her home with her son, Robert. She adores gardening and owns a small greenhouse.
“Mom still enjoys gardening, which keeps her active, and she is probably fitter than me,” Robert, 71, explained.
The twins don’t follow any kind of longevity diet. Dorcas confesses that when they are hungry, they eat anything they want.
