Britain's oldest identical twins who both made it beyond the age of 100 have passed away after spending their final years together.Dorothy Silver and Kathleen Whitehead, from Rochester, both reached celebrated a century of birthdays in 2020.
They celebrated together after moving into their childhood home, which was built by their grandparents when they were 12 years old in 1932, during the Covid pandemic to keep each other company.
Dorothy passed away just before her 103rd birthday in 2022, having spent the final years of her life alongside her twin sister.
Now Dorothy's daughter Margaret announced that Kathleen passed away on Sunday, September 21, aged 105.
The sisters - who called themselves 'The Twinnies' - were born on August 28, 1920.
Eldest by a few minutes, Kathleen worked as a radar operator during the Second World War, and while she was once engaged, she never married or had children.
Dorothy, a radiographer who treated soldiers returning from the Normandy beaches, married Lesley Sivyer and had three children - Rosie, Margaret and Philip -six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Even after pandemic restrictions eased they remained together, seeing out their final days with lots of gin and tonic, card games and large letter scrabble.
Margaret said: 'They spent the last few years of their lives together. Covid kept them together and they stayed together until she [Dorothy] went.'
In the past, the remarkable ladies put their longevity down to balancing wine and chocolate with exercise and healthy food - and having a big group of female friends.
Speaking to The Mail in 2020 ahead of their 100th birthday, the ladies said that despite their different personalities they 'never quarrelled'.
Dorothy said: 'I came up here because of the lockdown to be with my sister and now we're both turning 100 together.
'It's been nice living together during lockdown. We haven't come to blows or anything!
'I don't mind turning 100. Nobody has got this old in our family before.
'We're having a garden party under a marquee with family and our friends are coming for morning coffee but they'll be in the garden to keep distance because of the virus.'
Kathleen added: 'We've had a lovely time together. It's been good and we want to say thank you to all those people who have made our birthday so happy and nice.
'Being together has kept us positive whilst staying inside - and eating chocolate! We play cards together and just chat a lot.
'We can't do much about turning 100, can we? It just kind of comes, doesn't it, I don't really want it - I'd rather go back the other way!
'We are the oldest identical twins in Britain which is nice!'
The sisters went to Rochester Grammar School while their brother Cecil went to Rochester Math School.
On leaving, Dorothy went into the NHS working as a radiographer at St Bart’s in Rochester, the Royal Free in London, Pembury Hospital, and a clinic in Maidstone.
They had just turned 19 years old when World War Two was declared in 1939 and both sisters did their bit for their country.
Kathleen served in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, as a radio plotter stationed in Devon.
Kathleen said: 'We've seen lots of changes in our lives.
'The war came just as we were of an age where we wanted to enjoy life.
'I was called up in the services in the West to be a radar operator so I did my bit in the war. It was quite an exciting time.'
During the Second World War Dorothy was dispatched to Winchester, Hampshire, to help deal with the wounded troops recovered from the D-Day landings. She worked for the health service until she was 64.
She said: 'We wanted to go out with our parents to parties and we loved going to the dances.
'Our teenage years were our favourite time. You're just an adult, you're doing adult things, not childish things - you're free to do what you want and go where you want.
'I was a radiographer in a London hospital and I was sent down to Winchester to X-ray the casualties coming from the Normandy beaches.'
Kathleen had wanted to go to art college, but instead obeyed her father’s instructions and went to work for an advertising company in London.
She later took up teaching and worked at Delce Juniors in Rochester and primary schools in Gillingham.
In her latter years, she re-kindled her love of art and had numerous oil paintings around her home.
The sisters travelled all over the world together, including Canada, Malta, Spain and a Scandinavian cruise.
Kathleen said: 'We went right up to the North Pole and saw lots of reindeer standing there, looking at us and wondering who these strange people are!
'We've been to glaciers like the Mortarach in Switzerland. We've been to Spain loads of times and went to the Netherlands. We've travelled around quite a bit.'
Despite their different lives, the sisters remained remarkably similar and always stayed very close.
Kathleen said: 'We've always got on very well. Never quarrelled, very close.
'We buy the same things and we share everything. Even when we are miles apart, we do the same things and buy the same handbags.
'I bought a pair of shoes once and she bought the same in a different colour!'
Dorothy added: 'We're not friends - we're closer than that. Real sisters, real close, we are. Always have been.'
Kathleen was always artistic, with a passion for painting and making jewellery and tea sets out of silver.
Dorothy had a scientific brain, working as a radiographer and physicist assistant.
Margaret said: 'Mum has a brilliant mathematical mind. She's very technical so in her 80s she was Skype-ing us and sending messages on the computer.
'Aunty Kath used to create these beautiful paintings and is always singing. She loves music and she sings such funny songs.
'They've got a funny sort of silly side and have a laugh but they're also both very intelligent.'
The pair said their secret to a long and happy life was everything in moderation and a huge group of girlfriends.
Dotrothy said: 'I used to cycle every day to the hospital and we still go out walking a few days a week when life is normal.
'I have a lot of good girlfriends. Every week, I play cards with one of my lady friends.'
Kathleen said: 'We've always been active - we would cycle and walk a lot, we even cycled to Guilford on the hottest day of the year!
'I used to walk to my work and play badminton in the garden. I enjoy my beautiful garden, that keeps me going.
'We do have naughty food but we also eat very healthily as well. We've never smoked but we do have the occasional glass of wine!'
Japanese sisters Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama have been confirmed as the oldest living identical twins and the oldest identical twins ever at 107 years, as of September 1, 2021.

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