Family Displays 100-Year-Old Christmas Tree That Survived Hitler Bombing in WWII
A woman in the United Kingdom is displaying her grandmother’s old Christmas tree this year on its 100th birthday.
According to BBC News, Kay Ashton of Sheffield, England, is the proud owner of a small, faux evergreen that outlived a Nazi air raid during the Second World War.
The 2-foot tree was originally purchased for just two shillings from Woolworths Supermarket in 1920 by Ashton’s grandmother, Elizabeth Naylor.
Ashton, 66, told the BBC that her grandmother would be “absolutely flabbergasted” if she knew the tree was still around.
“It’s actually just a bit of a family joke now,” she said. “Even my sister says, ‘Have you got that twig out yet?’ and I go, ‘Yep.’ She asks, ‘Does it look any better?’ and I go, ‘Nope.’”
Despite the tree’s battered appearance, Ashton admitted it had displayed much resilience through the years — particularly when it survived one of the Blitz’s worst nights of bombings.
This “absolutely underwhelming” Christmas tree which survived being bombed in Sheffield Blitz has gone on display for its 100th year: https://t.co/Ow1pHs9lvD pic.twitter.com/spMEkpRDhx
— BBC Yorkshire (@BBCLookNorth) December 1, 2020
In 1940, Nazi bombers conducted roughly nine months of aerial attacks in a bombing campaign against the United Kingdom.
This period would come to be known by the British as the Blitz — a name derived from the German word “blitzkrieg,” which means “lightning war.”
Naylor’s house in Sheffield was hit by bombers during the period and the tree was blown across the room, struck by bits of shrapnel. The incident left the tree cracked, and it is now only held together by a bit of brown sticky tape.
Ashton later revealed that the tree had also survived another siege in its lifetime — this time perpetrated by an owner who was “renowned for throwing stuff in the bin.”
“My mum threw my dad’s medals away from World War II,” she told the BBC.
“She wasn’t a hoarder. The fact it’s got through my mother, I really don’t know how it’s managed it.”
VIDEO: Sheffield family put up Britain’s oldest Christmas tree for the 95th year in a row..https://t.co/ov3qy0YIe9 pic.twitter.com/jTXygZpTZz
— The Star, Sheffield (@SheffieldStar) December 11, 2015
Remarkably, Ashton’s seemingly indestructible decoration is not the oldest Christmas tree in existence.
Guinness World Records says that title belongs to a 134-year-old tree owned by Janet Parker of nearby Wiltshire.
Ironically also purchased from Woolworths, Parker’s tree was originally owned by her great aunt in 1886. According to Guinness, she decorates the hand-me-down tree with cherubs and the Virgin Mary each year.
Every year, Janet Parker of Chippenham, Wiltshire, puts her Christmas tree up, possibly being purchased from Woolworths, for her Great Aunt in 1886! Photo credit –https://t.co/IjkDCoGso3 pic.twitter.com/hHaYuGdSIs
— Gleeson Recruitment (@GleesonRecruit) December 13, 2017
On the other side of England, Ashton also displays her century-old tree annually, despite its rocky past and “dodgy” appearance. The tree owner is keen to show it a bit of love for all the memories it brings back.
“I can’t believe it’s still here,” Ashton said. “No wonder it looks a bit battered because it’s had a right life.”
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