The Oldest Man in the World Today

Posted July 15, 2009, 7:43 am


No doubt about it, Henry Allingham is as interesting as he is old! And, at the age of 113, he is the oldest living man in the world. Proving age had not dimmed his sense of humor, he once attributed his longevity to “cigarettes, whiskey and wild women”.  Allingham is also one of just two surviving British veterans of World War I.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records,  Allingham, who was borne on June 6, 1896 took over the title after the previous record-holder, Tomoji Tanabe, died in his sleep at his home in Japan on June 19th, 2009.

Allingham is also the last surviving founder member of the RAF, the last man to have witnessed the Battle of Jutland and the last surviving member of the Royal Naval Air Service.

Statistics show that In 1911 there were approximately 100 centenarians in all of England. In 2006, there were 8,970.

Allingham has lived a full life. Born in East London, his father died when he was a child. After the death of his mother in 1915, he enlisted in the military, serving first as a seaplane mechanic and then as a spotter, or bomber. He would admit later that he did not realize what war meant, but his experiences at the Third Battle of Ypres, more widely known as Passchendaele, ensured that his youthful enthusiasm was replaced by a lasting passion for peace. “War’s stupid,” he told the BBC. “Nobody wins. You might as well talk first, you have to talk last anyway.”

The scenes he witnessed of soldiers waiting to go over the top at Ypres have stayed with him ever since. “They would just stand there in 2ft of water in mud-filled trenches, waiting to go forward,” he said. “They knew what was coming. It was pathetic to see those men like that. I don’t think they have ever got the admiration and respect they deserved.”

Mr Allingham had a long and happy marriage. He and his wife Dorothy were together for more than 50 years, heading a family that now includes his first great-great-great-grandchild. After the war he went into the motor industry, eventually joining the design department at Ford before retiring in 1961.

When asked how he had lived so long, Mr Allingham, who holds the Légion d’Honneur, said: “I don’t know if there is a secret, but keeping within your capacity is vital. I’ve had two major breakdowns, one during the war and one after but both when I was trying to do the work of three men.

“The trick is to look after yourself and always know your limitations.”

A friend said that Allingham was still letting news of his distinction sink in. He said Mr. Allingham has been finding it more difficult lately to take any pleasure from life.

“He thinks he has gotten to a time where he is more than ready to go. But as his mother used to say, ‘Wait to be asked, Henry, wait to be asked’.”

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