Brothers with combined age of 202 set to enter record books

May 18 2008 By Marion Scott

THEY are the oldest singers in town and these two 100-up brothers say the secret of their long life is belting out the classics.

Golden oldies Jim and Alex Ramsay have been named as Britain's oldest siblings aged 102 and 100 respectively.

Jim who turned 102 on April 7, is still singing with Arbroath Male Voice Choir.

And although deafness has severely curtailed his own singing career, the UK's oldest wee brother Alex regularly joins him for duets.

The brothers, both widowers, still live in their own homes in Arbroath.

Jim said: "Music has filled and enriched our lives so much, I can't imagine being without it.

"It's kept us young, and although Alex's deafness has stopped him singing as he used to, I'm still going strong.

"My motto has always been be thankful for what you've got because there's an awful lot of people far worse off than you.

"Even a young man will feel old if he's told he's looking old. Far better to be an old man who lives for every minute."

Jim was born in Newburgh, Fife, on April 7, 1906 and Alex in Avonbridge, Stirlingshire, on May 5, 1908.

Their father, John Robert Ramsay, worked in the family butcher's business before becoming a Congregational Church minister.

John and wife Christian both lived into their mid 80s and their third son, Hugh was 90 when he died in 2004.

The family were all musical, with Christian playing the organ and John the coronet.

In the 1920s, Jim and Alex joined a travelling band of entertainers known as the KM Concert party, all dressed as the Commedia dell'Arte figure Pierrot. Alex sang while Jim played the ukulele.

Jim said: "We lived busy lives, and were always singing and going out entertaining people for the fun of it. We always had music in our house."

Jim rode a bike well into his 70s and reckons his health has stayed robust because of his love of rousing hymns and choral classics.

He said: "I'm pretty fit for 102 but as child I got all the nasty illnesses that were on the go - diptheria, mumps, measles, chickenpox.

"I even survived the great flu epidemic that raged across Britain from 1918.

"The flu put me on my back for two weeks and I truly thought I'd never get up again. But I survived, and from that day on, I've hardly ever been ill - I've certainly never needed a flu jab."

Jim became a civil engineer, working in the planning stages of the Forth Road Bridge 30 years before it was built and helping with the regeneration of Clydebank after World War II.

He and his wife Jean, who died over 30 years ago, had one daughter, Sheila, now 70.

Alex became a pharmacist and was manager of Boots in Arbroath, where he settled with his wife Nettie, and raised two children - Alaistair, 70, and Sandra, now 64. He was one of the founder members of Arbroath Male Voice Choir, which started in 1934, and is still the honorary president.

On his 100th birthday this month the choir, including brother Jim, turned out to sing for him.

Alex said: "It was a wonderful moment and even more enjoyable because my older brother was there. I've loved music all my life and I always will."

Alex is still a regular churchgoer and enjoys singing along with the hymns.

Ian Fleming, secretary of the choir said: "Both brothers are an absolute marvel.

"They've brought music and laughter into the lives of many, many thousands of people over the years.

"Even at 102, Jim loves nothing better than going out singing to the 'old folks'.

"I haven't the heart to point out to him that he's decades older than most of those 'old folks'.

Jim and Alex look set to win a place in the Guinness Book of World Records, who have no details of any older living brothers.

Melanie Dargatz of Guinness said: "We did have a record of four sisters becoming centenarians on April 2, 1984, when Lily Beatrice Parsons reached her 100th birthday. She followed her three sisters, Florence Eliza White 1874-1979, Maud Annie Spencer 1876-1978 and Eleanor Newton Webber 1880-1983.

"We don't currently have a category for oldest brothers.

"Jim and Alex could be the first to be considered for a Guinness World Record."

MAILFILE

One of the earliest pictures of the brothers from 1910. Alex, left, is two and watches big brother Jim, four, on his hobby horse

Jim, with ukelele, and Alex, far right, were a big hit in the KM Concert Party in the 1920s

Jim served with the Army in Egypt during WW2.

A treasured family snap of Jim with his mum and dad - Christian and John - and his daughter Sheila in 1952.

Even when he was well into his 70s, Jim loved getting on his bike. Now he enjoys singing to "the old folk".

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