Kathleen Gregson (13 Jun 1893 - 30 May 2003) was a British centenarian.
Biography[]
Kathleen Gregson was born in Loughton, Essex. Her childhood home, known as Hearts Hill, was built by her grandfather. Her family kept a herd of Jersey cattle, and owned two Irish wolfhounds.
Gregson was educated at home by her governess until the age of 15. She witnessed the switch from the horse and cart to the motor car, and was one of the first female drivers in the United Kingdom. She often drove throughout the entirety of England and Wales.
Gregson studied at the Royal Academy of Music, and later volunteered as a cook and as a driver for a Red Cross hospital in London. Unusually for a woman of her class, she helped soldiers who were injured in World War I, especially those who lost limbs or were killed. After the war, Gregson moved to the country and taught at a village school.
Gregson was set to be conscripted for World War II, but instead took care of her mother. During the war, her house was destroyed by a bomb dropped by the German air force, but she and her mother survived. She then moved to small house with a garden, where she lived for 30 years. She performed gardening well into her 90s.
In her later years, Gregson lived in a nursing home overlooking the Irish Sea. She once fell down the stairs of her house; when asked if she broke anything, she replied, "The teapot." She joked of her longevity, "I think the Devil's got hold of me and he won't let me go." She died at the age of 109 years 350 days.
References[]
- Earth's Elders: The Wisdom of the World's Oldest People, by Jerry Friedman