Bill and John Bowdler, 82-year-old identical twins from Birmingham, have spent their entire lives together, never marrying and remaining inseparable since birth. Born on March 21, 1944, the brothers have shared every aspect of their lives, from childhood outfits to careers and retirement.
A Lifetime of Togetherness
John Bowdler explains: 'We've always been inseparable, from birth, although I was born 20 minutes earlier than Bill so I was on my own for a little bit. We do literally everything together, and I couldn't imagine it any other way.' The twins' matching style began in childhood, when their mother dressed them in identical outfits, a tradition that has continued for over 80 years. John notes, 'We dress in the same clothes. I'm normally up first so I go and pick something out and then Bill will go and match that.'
Same Jobs, Same Hobbies
After leaving school in 1960, both joined the same wholesale distribution business in Birmingham, where they worked for 31 years. When the business closed, they both became postmen, covering neighbouring delivery routes for 17 years. Bill recalls, 'When you start, they put you on different walks, but we ended up on adjacent walks. People used to see us both and get confused at how we were in two places at once.' They retired on the same day in 2009.
Now retired, the twins enjoy watching Aston Villa football matches, eat the same meals daily, and go on holiday together. The only thing they disagree on is brown sauce: John dislikes it, while Bill puts it on almost everything.
Health and Longevity
Their similarities extend to health: both needed cataract surgery in the same eye and had operations a month apart at Newmedica in Birmingham. Bill explains, 'We went to Specsavers, and they saw the cataract. They found it at the same time. We've both had the right eye done.' The brothers believe their close bond keeps them active and healthy. John says, 'We're 82 but we feel 70. There's people on our estate, our former school mates, and they're hobbling around or in wheelchairs. We have each other so we can keep each other fit.'
Unique Bond
The longest time apart was when John spent two weeks in hospital for appendicitis plus 12 weeks off work. John adds, 'Neither of us have ever married. We've got a really close relationship anyway, we didn't have the time to bother with the opposite sex.' The twins finish each other's sentences naturally and say they cannot tell themselves apart in old photographs.
