The oldest person you met

[Sam]

So it is! I'd love to go there and get photographed sitting on the front step. (with the appropriate co-stars of course!)

Now that sounds like an idea for an OTFathon.

[Sits]

Here's Granny on Dad's side, so wife-to-be of my army Grandad upthread. I remember her very well as she died in 1985 but had two bad strokes in the 70s which really knocked everything out of her. She was born in 1899 and is probably 12 or 13 here, with her Mum and Dad, living somewhere in Kent. They were in Great Mongeham (sp) at first and Deal later.

I clearly never met these great-grandparents but theirs is quite a story - not sure how it will go down with our Irish membership. He was born in 1865 in London but in the 1880s served in the English Army stationed in Cork Barracks. So basically the occupying force. She was born in Athlone in 1867 but was in Cork in time for them to marry in 1888 and accompany him back to England. She was Catholic and he was Anglican so God knows how that was received by the families. Granny had auburn hair and I like to think it came from Great Granny Kate.

[Various Artist]

All my great-grandparents were born in the 19th century; I overlapped with four of them – born between 1887 and December 1899 – for half a dozen years or more when I was little and they were in or near their 90s. Two were married for 70 years, having had their wedding in the first winter of the Great War.

This is the wedding I mentioned, December 1914. As can be seen they weren't kids – my great-grandad was 27 and my great-grandma 25 – but both lived for another seven decades. My main memory of them is being at their house in December 1984 for their anniversary party when I was 5. My great-grandad died the day before my 6th birthday, so it was probably the last time I saw them as well.

I'd love to know who some of the other people in the photo are, because there's every chance I'm looking at a few great-great-grandparents here, and the bearded chap with his hands on his knees in the front row could plausibly even be my great-great-great-grandfather.

[Crystal Staples]

I had three Great Nannas – known to me as Great Nanna with the Dog, Great Nanna with the Laugh, and Great Nanna with the Hammer.

The former two were born in the early 20th century, I never really knew GNWTH but she must have been born in 1897 as one of my two memories of meeting her is being in Brixton for her 90th birthday, and finding a newsagent to buy some packets of Panini 1987 stickers, as was the Saturday ritual. It was definitely 87 as I remember the pink print on the backing to the stickers. Saw her once again in 1993 when she was blind and very hard of hearing, and I think she just about made it to 100.

[Various Artist]

Great Nanna with the Hammer

That's quite the nickname, CS. Dare we begin to enquire how she came by that one, or should I really not ask...?

[Crystal Staples]

Rather mundanely, it was because until the 90th I mentioned, I only knew her from a photo of her holding a 1 year old me and a toy hammer.

[VTTBoscombe]

Robert Marchand - 105 Years old , met him, when he was barely a young whelp of 100 years old in my first Ardéchoise , and rather unsporting of me, I overtook him on the last climb of the day.
If he's there I hope to see him again next June. Very nice guy too.

[Benjm]

That is very cool, VTTB.

Plus I heard that you only passed him because you'd been at the Belgian Mix.