Even though they live more than 80 miles apart, Britain’s oldest twins still get together every week. They both turned 101 in June.
Edith Dumbleton and Dorcas Tobin were born at their family home on June 28, 1920, in Banbury, England. The two sisters are not the same, but they have seen 25 prime ministers and four kings come and go.
Edith, who is 45 minutes older than Dorcas, said, “It’s great that we’ve reached this age because we don’t know anyone else who’s getting close to 100.” “It’s been amazing for us.” “We’re still going strong and making the best of things.”
Dorcas and Edith are twins. (From left to right)(SWNS)Between them, they have five children, thirteen grandchildren, and 22 great-grandchildren.
Edith’s 67-year-old daughter, Christine Bemand, who lives with her mother, says that the twins came from a “humble background” and that their father was an engineer. When the twins were only three years old, their father passed away.
“Their mother raised all five of them by herself, so they had a cheap upbringing that doesn’t seem to have hurt them,” Christine said.
When the sisters were 14, they quit school to do housework for other people’s families until the Second World War started.
Edith and Dorcas were both 21 at the time. (SWNS)Christine said, “That was their chance to get out, so they both went to work for Switch Guard, which made parts for bombs.” “Dorcas didn’t like it and joined the Land Army, but my mother stayed with the company and met my father after the war.”
“I’ve lived in Banbury my whole life, except for when I was in the Land Army. It was one of the best things to happen to me. I really enjoyed myself. Dorcas said, “You were out in the open.” “Since we were in the Land Army, we didn’t hear any bombings except for the one that was dropped in the canal.” Twins Edith and Dorcas’s brothers and sisters (SWNS)Edith and Frederick were married for 50 years before he died at the age of 89, 15 years ago. Their three kids were named Frederick, Kenneth, and Christine.
Horace, who worked as a firefighter, had been married to Dorcas for 33 years. Their two children were Robert and Susan. He died when he was 80 years old.
Christine said that because Edith and Dorcas lived on different sides of Banbury, she would go with her mother to Dorcas’ house to play with her cousins.
Christine also said that the two sisters used to go on vacation with their husbands or wives to Bournemouth every year until Dorcas’ husband Horace died 30 years ago.
The twins kept living together on the same road in Banbury until Edith’s health got worse eight years ago. At that time, she moved in with her daughter’s family.
“She’s almost blind and has trouble moving around,” Christine said. Christine says that Dorcas and Edith never had the nicer things in life, and the food they ate was simple but good.
Christine said, “It wasn’t like I was on some fancy diet or anything.” “Because they had realistic goals for their lives, they haven’t been hurt by their own mistakes.” Also, because they were thrifty, they were able to put money away for bad times.
“I’m glad that even though we’ve lived simple lives, there’s been a lot to appreciate along the way,” Dorcas said. “We’ve had hard times, but we’ve also had a lot of good times and enjoyed our lives.”
(SWNS) “We never had much to begin with, so we couldn’t lose much. This has made us pretty stress-free.
The two sisters spend time with each other once a week to make the most of what they have. Even though they live two hours apart, Dorcas goes from Banbury, Oxfordshire, to Leominster, Herefordshire, every Tuesday.
Christine said, “They like to see each other and like to bring each other small gifts.” “It’s very important to them.” “When Dorcas comes over, she usually brings a bread pudding she’s made or a few tomatoes, and my mom always wants to go out and buy Dorcas a chocolate bar.”
Before the lockdown last year, the two loved ones got together to celebrate every birthday. They did, however, celebrate their 100th anniversary in June with family at a pub in Worcestershire.
Christine likes how close they are and how their friendship can’t be broken. She thinks that because they are so old and most of their friends have died, they have become a “diminishing band,” which makes them even closer.
Dorcas said that she and her sister Edith are doing very well for their ages because they both beat cancer. Dorcas’s son, Robert, lives with her. She has a small greenhouse and loves to garden.
“Mom still likes to garden, which keeps her busy and probably keeps her in better shape than me,” said Robert, who is 71 years old.
The twins don’t eat in any way that would help them live longer. Dorcas says that they will eat anything when they are hungry.
