Glenys Thomas and Florence Davies, 103, identical twin sisters who lived next door to each other virtually their entire lives, have both passed away within weeks of each other. They were Britain’s oldest twins, in fact possibly the oldest twins in the entire world.
The ladies were neighbors in Francis Street, Abertridwr in Wales for most of their lives.
Britain’s oldest twins die weeks apart aged 103 http://t.co/vDbWidNWCi pic.twitter.com/7oWx4WymFm
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) May 27, 2015
Glenys and Florence were born the year before the Titanic sank, experienced 19 British Prime Ministers and two World Wars. They even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as being the oldest twins ever.
According to the Mirror Online, Florence’s daughter Meryl, 64, said the pair were inseparable.
“They were always close, throughout their whole lives.”
Identical twins , Glenys and Florence were born on November 22, 1911, in the same street where they spent most of their lives. Apparently, their father worked as a blacksmith and had moved to North Wales seeking employment.
Britain’s oldest twins die within weeks of each other http://t.co/GH3CP5bNLw pic.twitter.com/AHrKxX8Acu
— WalesOnline (@WalesOnline) May 27, 2015
Britain’s oldest twins, Glenys and Florence also had two younger sisters and one older brother, and Meryl explained that, until they started school, they didn’t speak much English. While the family’s first language was Welsh, that reportedly stopped with their generation. The pair did still use Welsh occasionally when having a secret conversation.
“They used to speak Welsh if there was something they didn’t want us to know!”
According to Meryl, Britain’s oldest twins were proud of being identical, and like so many identical twins, enjoyed playing the occasional prank of their friends and family. They were so similar, even some family members occasionally had trouble telling them apart, but closer family members knew who was who.
“I remember my mother telling me they once swapped boyfriends when they were about 15.
“Of course we could tell them apart, but to most people, they did look completely identical.”
Meryl explained that the twins often dressed the same, as their tastes were very similar, and they would often wear the same outfit, but in different colors.
Another similarity between Britain’s oldest twins was that they both got married at the age of 21, back in 1932, with Florence marrying John Davies and Glenys wedding William Scrivens.
Apparently, it wasn’t easy for the family, as John Davies died at the age of 50, leaving Florence to care for four children on her own. Glenys and William had only one daughter.
Glenys’ first husband later died at the age of 62, and she remarried in 1972 aged 60. Between the twins, they had five children, 12 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
Glenys and Florence were next door neighbors for many years and even knocked a hole through the wall to make an inter-leading door between the two homes.
According to the Wales Online , Glenys passed away on April 23, and Florence passed away last Wednesday, after spending their last days in the Abermill Care Home, where their rooms were only a few doors from each other.
According to Meryl, Britain’s oldest twins ‘ secret for enjoying a long, healthy life was that they didn’t eat any fancy food, “it was just the plain cooking they had been brought up with.”
“When they were little, their father kept pigs and grew all their own food. My mother would not touch spaghetti or rice.”
After a good and long life, Glenys was laid to rest next to her husband, and Florence will be buried with their parents. RIP to Britain’s oldest twins, Glenys and Florence.
In a similar vein, the Inquisitr recently reported the story of identical triplets , who chose to have a triple wedding at the age of 29, all wearing the same style dress.
[Image: Street in Abertridwr, Wales CC BY-NC 2.0 Dom Atreides ]