War veteran Henry Allingham becomes the oldest man in the world

British World War I veteran Henry Allingham becomes the world's oldest man Photo: REUTERS

Air Mechanic First Class Allingham, at 113, has become the oldest man on the planet after Tomoji Tanabe, just a few months his elder, died in his sleep yesterday.

The oldest surviving member of the Armed Forces holds a clutch of honours, including the British War Medal, Victory Medal and the Legion d'Honneur – the highest military honour awarded by France.

In his personal life, Mr Allingham was married to his late wife Dorothy for more than half a century and heads a dynasty which includes his great-great-great grandchild.

He once attributed his grand age to "cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women".

Born in London on June 6 1896, Mr Allingham's father died when he was a baby.

As a young man, he has said, he thought joining the war effort would be an adventure, not realising what it meant.

"War's stupid," he said. "Nobody wins. You might as well talk first, you have to talk last anyway."

He was initially persuaded to remain at home by his mother but in September 1915, after her death, he joined the Royal Navy Air Service (RNAS) and was sent to France, maintaining seaplanes.

Enthusiastic to play his part, pilots would take him flying and he would take the role of a spotter or a bomber.

He is now the last founder member of the RAF and the only remaining survivor of the infamous Battle of Jutland off the Danish coast in 1916.

He had a miraculous escape from his ship, the Kingfisher, when a German shell heading directly for it bounced over the top.

He has also described how he remained haunted by scenes from the third battle of Ypres.

"They would just stand there in two feet of water in mud-filled trenches, waiting to go forward," he once said.

"They knew what was coming. It was pathetic to see those men like that.

"In many ways I don't think they have ever got the admiration and respect they deserved."

He was also shot in the arm, commenting: "It's so long ago that the scar has gone."

In civilian life he went into the motor industry, eventually joining the design department at Ford before retiring in 1961.

Asked about his longevity, he 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."

The oldest living person in the world is Gertrude Baines, 115, from Los Angeles, California, who was born on April 4 1894.

Florence Baldwin, from Leeds, West Yorks, just pips Mr Allingham to the title of oldest Briton with a nine-week age gap on him.

First World War veteran Henry Allingham, 113, is world's oldest man

Mr Allingham, one of only two surviving First World War veterans in the UK and the last surviving founder member of the RAF, celebrated his 113th birthday on June 6.

The veteran lives at St Dunstan's care home for blind ex-service personnel, near Brighton.

His spokesman Dennis Goodwin said he did not know if Mr Allingham is definitely now the oldest man in the world, though he knows he is the oldest man in Europe.

He said on Friday: "It's staggering. He (Henry) is philosophical. He will take it in his stride, like he does everything else."

Tomoji Tanabe, the previous world's oldest man, died in his sleep at his home in southern Japan earlier today at the ages of 113.

It has already been a remarkable year for Mr Allingham, who is the sole survivor of the 1916 Battle of Jutland.

In March he received an upgraded Legion d'Honneur from the French ambassador in London and was made the first honorary lifetime member of the Royal Naval Association (RNA).

He was also presented with a doctorate in engineering from Southampton Solent University and was made an honorary freeman of his home city of Brighton and Hove in April.

Mr Goodwin, a long-time friend of Mr Allingham and a founder of the First World War Veterans' Association, said of his expected reaction: "He withdraws in himself and he chews it over like he does all the things he has done in his life.

"That's his secret I think."

Mr Allingham, whose life has spanned three centuries and six monarchs, has five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, 14 great-great grandchildren and one great-great-great grandchild.

British veteran Henry Allingham becomes world's oldest man

Proving age had not dimmed his sense of humour, he once put his longevity down to “cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women”. Yesterday, Henry Allingham — one of two surviving British veterans of the First World War — officially became the world’s oldest man.

Guinness World Records said that Mr Allingham, who celebrated his 113th birthday on June 6, took the title after the previous incumbent, Tomoji Tanabe, died in his sleep at his home in Japan, also at the age of 113.

A familiar face at Remembrance ceremonies, Mr Allingham’s life has spanned three centuries. Born in 1896, the young man who signed up for the war thinking it would be a great adventure became a symbol of the sacrifice of a generation and a man with a string of “lasts” to his name.

He is 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.

Yesterday, however, he came to symbolise something more — how Britons are living longer. In 1911, when he was a teenage apprentice, there were an estimated 100 centenarians in Britain. In 2006, there were 8,970. The Japanese still have roughly twice as many centenarians per head of population as Britain. Their longevity has been attributed to a combination of the right genes, helped by a diet low in animal fats. But better medical care and higher birth rates mean that other countries, including Britain, are catching them up.

Before he became a national symbol, Henry Allingham had a full life. Born in Clapton, East London, after his father’s death, he was brought up by his mother, who persuaded him not to join up as soon as war broke out. But when she died in 1915 he promptly enlisted, serving first as a seaplane mechanic and then as a spotter, or bomber. He would admit later that he did not realise 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 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.”

His friend, Dennis Goodwin, said that Mr Allingham, who lives at St Dunstan’s Care Home, near Brighton, was still letting news of his distinction sink in. He said Mr Allingham found it harder to take any pleasure from life.

“He thinks he has got 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’.”