Florence Reeves
Encyclopedia
Florence Reeves was an English
suffragette
, civil servant and notable supercentenarian
. Reeves was born in West Ham
, London
as one of 13 children, but lived the bulk of her life in Essex
, principally in the area of Southend.
She worked as a civil servant during the First World War
, working on morse code
used to transmit classified
material. She married in December 1918, and was widow
ed in the 1970s.
Described in press reports of her death as "the oldest person in England" and the "oldest woman in the UK", Reeves was survived by both Lucy d'Abreu
of Scotland
, aged 113, and Judy Ingamells of Enfield, born one month before her and recognized as England's oldest woman by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Her death was announced only a few hours after that of Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper
, the oldest documented person in the world at the time.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
, civil servant and notable supercentenarian
Supercentenarian
A supercentenarian is someone who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in a thousand centenarians....
. Reeves was born in West Ham
West Ham
West Ham is in the London Borough of Newham in London, England. In the west it is a post-industrial neighbourhood abutting the site of the London Olympic Park and in the east it is mostly residential, consisting of Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-War social housing...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as one of 13 children, but lived the bulk of her life in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, principally in the area of Southend.
She worked as a civil servant during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, working on morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
used to transmit classified
Classified information
Classified information is sensitive information to which access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of persons. A formal security clearance is required to handle classified documents or access classified data. The clearance process requires a satisfactory background investigation...
material. She married in December 1918, and was widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
ed in the 1970s.
Described in press reports of her death as "the oldest person in England" and the "oldest woman in the UK", Reeves was survived by both Lucy d'Abreu
Lucy d'Abreu
Lucy Victoria d'Abreu née d'Souza was the oldest living person in the United Kingdom from April 2004 until her death...
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, aged 113, and Judy Ingamells of Enfield, born one month before her and recognized as England's oldest woman by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Her death was announced only a few hours after that of Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper
Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper
Hendrikje "Henny" van Andel-Schipper was the oldest person ever in the history of the Netherlands , and from 29 May 2004 was thought to be the oldest recognized person in the world until her death Hendrikje "Henny" van Andel-Schipper (née Schipper) (29 June 1890 – 30 August 2005) was the...
, the oldest documented person in the world at the time.
External links
- Obituary (The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, 31 August 2005) - Obituary (The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 31 August 2005)