Henry Allingham

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Pre-First World War

Allingham as an infant in the 1890s.

Allingham was born in 1896 in Clapton, County of London. When he was 14 months old, his father died of tuberculosis. Brought up by his mother and grandparents, the family moved to Clapham, London, in 1907 and attended a London County Council school. Allingham remembered seeing the City Imperial Volunteers return from the Second Boer War, and also recalled watching W. G. Grace playing cricket, around 1903-05. On leaving school, Allingham started work as a trainee surgical instrument maker at Bart's Hospital. He did not find this job very interesting, and so left to work for a coachbuilder specialising in car bodies. canon sd400

First World War panasonic dmc fx30

Allingham in RNAS uniform in 1916 digital camera 6mp

One of the generation who sacrificed so much for us all.

he Queen

Allingham wanted to join the war effort in August 1914 as a despatch rider, but his critically ill mother managed to persuade him to stay at home and look after her. However, after his mother died in 1915, Allingham enlisted with the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). He became formally rated as an Air Mechanic Second Class on 21 September 1915, and was posted to Chingford before completing his training at Sheerness, Kent. His RNAS serial number was RNAS F8317.

After graduation, Allingham was posted to the RNAS Air Station at Great Yarmouth where his job was aircraft maintenance. On 13 April 1916, King George V inspected the air station and its aircraft. He was disappointed when the king turned and left just before he would have had a chance to speak to him. Allingham also worked in Bacton, Norfolk, further up the coast, where night-flying was conducted.

Allingham was involved in supporting anti-submarine patrols. A typical patrol would last two or three days and would involve the manual labour of hoisting a seaplane in and out of the water by means of a deck-mounted derrick.

Sopwith Schneider

In the run-up to what has become known as the Battle of Jutland, Allingham was ordered to join the naval trawler HMT Kingfisher. Onboard was a Sopwith Schneider seaplane that was used to look out for the German High Seas Fleet. Allingham's responsibilities included helping to launch the aircraft. Although the Kingfisher was not directly involved in the battle (it shadowed the British Grand Fleet and then the High Seas Fleet), Allingham still rightfully claimed to be the last known survivor of that battle and could recall "seeing shells ricocheting across the sea."

In September 1917, Allingham, by now an Air Mechanic First Class, was posted to the Western Front to join No. 12 Squadron RNAS. This unit acted as a training squadron for other RNAS squadrons based on the Western Front. There is also some evidence that the squadron was involved in combat operations. When Allingham arrived at Petite-Synthe, both the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the RNAS were involved in the Ypres offensive. Allingham also instrumented the very first reconnaissance aircraft camera during the First World War. On 3 November 1917, he was posted to the aircraft depot at Dunkirk, France where he remained for the rest of the war, on aircraft repair and recovery duties. He recalls being bombed from the air and shelled from both the land and the sea.

He transferred to the Royal Air Force when the RNAS and the RFC were merged on 1 April 1918. The creation of the Royal Air Force did not initially have a big impact on Allingham and he later remarked that at that time he still considered himself a navy man. In the RAF he was ranked as a Rigger Aero, Aircraft Mechanic Second Class and was given a new service number: 208317. Allingham returned to the Home Establishment in February 1919 and was formally discharged to the RAF Reserve on 16 April 1919.

During the last few years of his life Allingham was recognized as the last surviving founding member of the RAF. Speaking with Dennis Goodwin, Allingham said:

It is a shock as well as a privilege to think that I am the only man alive from that original reorganisation when the RAF was formed.

Inter-war years

Career

In addition to his military service as a mechanic, Allingham spent the vast majority of his professional life as an engineer. His employers included Thorns Car Body Makers, Vickers General Motors and H.J.M. Car Body Builders.

He started his longest stretch of employment in 1934 designing new car bodies for the Ford Motor Company at their Dagenham plant which had only opened a few years previously in 1931.

Family life

Allingham met Dorothy Cator (18951970) in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk in 1918. They married the same year in Romford, when she was 22. They moved to Eastbourne, Sussex in 1960 and remained married until she died there from acute and chronic lymphatic leukemia. They had two daughters, Betty (born 1920) and Jean (19232001). Jean emigrated to the United States and died aged 78 in 2001. At the time of his death Allingham believed that Betty had died. He had lost touch with her in the 1970s following a family rift after the death of his wife in 1970. In fact Betty Hankin was still alive aged 89 when her father died, and living in Stroud, Gloucestershire. In addition to his one remaining daughter Betty, at the time of his death Allingham had seven grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, 14 great-great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-great-grandchild.

Second World War

During the Second World War, Allingham was in a reserved occupation and worked on a number of projects. The most significant of these was perhaps the effort to provide an effective counter-measure to the German magnetic mines. During his Christmas lunch in 1939 he was called away to help come up with a system that would neutralise the mines and open the port of Harwich, Essex. Nine days later, he had successfully completed the task.

After the Second World War

The Cenotaph in London at which Allingham attended ceremonies on 4 August 2004 and 11 November 2008, marking the 90th anniversary of the start and end of World War One

Allingham continued to work for Ford. He retired in 1960. After Denis Goodwin of the First World War Veterans' Association tracked him down in 2001, Allingham took a prominent role in telling his story so that later generations would not forget. The 2003 Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal was launched on 16 October 2003, by Henry Allingham and model Nell McAndrew aboard the cruiser HMS Belfast. He was quoted as saying "They (the veterans) have given all they have got for the country ... I owe them ... we all owe them."

A ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London on 4 August 2004, marked the 90th anniversary of Britain's entry into the First World War. This was attended by three other First World War veterans as well as Allingham. They were William Stone, Fred Lloyd and John Oborne. Allingham also marched past the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday in 2005 and laid wreaths at memorials in Saint-Omer on Armistice Day. That was the last time that a First World War veteran marched past the Cenotaph and it marked the end of an era. No First World War veterans were present at the Cenotaph for the 2006 Remembrance Sunday Parade.

As the last surviving member of the RNAS, and the last living founder member of the RAF, Allingham was an honoured guest when the British Air Services Memorial was unveiled at Saint-Omer on 11 September 2004. The group of RAF technical trainees that joined him at this ceremony continued to visit Allingham at his retirement home in Eastbourne, demonstrating the bond of respect that these men had for Mr. Allingham, made even more remarkable since almost 90 years separated these young trainees from himself. During this time, Allingham was given the Gold Medal of Saint-Omer, which marked the award of the Freedom of the Town.

Allingham was invited by the International Holographic Portrait Archive to have his holographic portrait taken in November 2005, an offer which was accepted. His image was recorded for posterity in December 2005. At the same time, an exhibition was being planned for London's floating naval museum on board HMS Belfast, entitled the Ghosts of Jutland. A copy of this portrait was donated to the museum and HRH The Duchess of Gloucester unveiled the portrait to mark the opening of the exhibition.

He was awarded the freedom of his home town of Eastbourne by the mayor on 21 April 2006. He lived on his own until May 2006 when, one month before his 110th birthday and with failing eyesight, he moved to St Dunstan's, a charity for blind ex-service personnel, at Ovingdean, near Brighton. Aside from this, he was reportedly in good health, with visitors remarking on his memory and voice. Allingham attended the 1 July 2006 commemorations at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing. He did not attend the 2006 Remembrance Day parade on 11 November at the Cenotaph as he was in France at a wreath-laying ceremony and to receive the Freedom of The Town of Saint-Omer. He did, however, launch the Eastbourne Poppy Appeal before leaving for this trip.

On 18 April 2007 Allingham visited Wilnecote High School in Tamworth, Staffordshire to answer students' questions about the First World War, after they wrote to veterans asking them about their experiences. In October 2007 he was honoured at the Pride of Britain Awards. Between his 110th and 111th birthdays Allingham made over 60 public appearances, including a visit to The Oval on 5 June 2007 (the day before his 111th birthday), where he was wheeled around the boundary in front of the spectators.

On his 111th birthday, a Royal Marines band serenaded Allingham on board HMS Victory before he returned with friends and relatives to the Queen's Hotel on Portsmouth seafront for afternoon tea. Asked how it felt, Allingham replied, "I'm pleased to be seeing another tomorrow. It's just the same as it was as at any age, it's no different. I'm happy to be alive and I'm looking forward to the celebrations. I never imagined I'd get to 111."

On 1 April 2008, the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Royal Air Force, Allingham was guest of honour at the celebratory events at RAF Odiham in Hampshire. At that time, Allingham was the only surviving founder member of the RAF.

Allingham celebrated his 112th birthday with members of his family at RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire being the guest of honour at a luncheon at the college. During the day the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight performed a flypast which was followed by an acrobatic display from two Tutor aircraft. In June 2008, at his personal request, Allingham was taken on a personal guided tour of the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft at BAE Systems in Warton, Lancashire, as part of the National Veterans' Day celebrations.

On 23 September 2008, Allingham launched a book about his life co-written with Denis Goodwin, with an event at the RAF Club in London. On 11 November 2008, marking the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War, together with Harry Patch and Bill Stone, Allingham laid a commemorative wreath for the Act of Remembrance at The Cenotaph in London. Allingham was invested as a Scout on 18 November 2008, 100 years after he first joined as a youth. He said he was only able to spend six weeks with his local group as a boy. Allingham celebrated his 113th birthday on HMS President, hosted by the Royal Navy. He received a signed birthday card from First Sea Lord Sir Jonathon Band and saw a Mark 8 Royal Navy Lynx flying overhead while he was sitting outside in his wheelchair. When asked the secret of his long life, Allingham said: "I don't know, but I would say, be as good as you possibly can."

Oldest living man

Allingham credited "cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women and a good sense of humour" for his longevity.

Allingham overtook George Frederick Ives as the longest lived member of the British Armed Forces on 1 November 2007. He was therefore the longest lived British First World War veteran to date.

Following the death of Tomoji Tanabe on 19 June 2009, Allingham became the oldest living man. At his death, he was the oldest living veteran of the First World War, but not the longest lived member of any armed force in any conflict; this record is held by Emiliano Mercado del Toro of Puerto Rico, who also served in the First World War.

Allingham was the oldest living man in England for several years. Official recognition by Guinness World Records came in January 2007. On 8 February 2007, with the death of 110-year-old Antonio Pierro, he became the oldest known living veteran of the First World War, as well as the third-oldest living man in the world. On 13 February 2007, he became the UK's second-oldest living person, behind Florrie Baldwin. Since the death of French supercentenarian Maurice Floquet on 10 November 2006, Allingham was the oldest validated living man in Europe. The death of Japanese man Sukesaburo Nakanishi on 22 August 2007 meant that from then Allingham shared the position of second-oldest man in the world with George Francis, an American man also born on 6 June 1896, for more than a year until Francis' death on 27 December 2008. On 29 March 2009, Allingham became the oldest British man of all time. With the death of Tomoji Tanabe on 19 June 2009 he became the oldest living man in the world; after Allingham's death, that title passed to Walter Breuning of Montana.

As the number of First World War veterans dwindled calls had been growing to give the last remaining veteran a state funeral. The calls resulted in Her Majesty's Government approving on 27 June 2006 a National Memorial Service at Westminster Abbey to take place after the death of the last known British First World War veteran. Prior to this announcement Allingham often said that he tried not to think about the prospect, but has also been quoted as saying "I don't mind  as long as it's not me." Allingham received a letter from Member of Parliament Tom Watson on 14 July 2006 explaining the reasoning for a national memorial service rather than a state funeral, as the intention is to commemorate the entire generation that fought in the war rather than single out an individual.

In Harry Patch's book The Last Fighting Tommy, the author claims that Allingham planned to leave his body to medical science. In his own book Kitchener's Last Volunteer Allingham confirmed that he was intending to leave his body to medical science. However he was persuaded by Denis Goodwin to change his mind, as he became a symbol of World War I to remind people of the sacrifices made during the conflict. To that end he agreed to a funeral and cremation.

Awards

War medals and awards

The Officier Lgion d'honneur. Awarded to Allingham in 2009.

Allingham had four medals, two of which were medals from the First World War. In the image above, the Gold Medal of Saint-Omer is worn at the neck; it was awarded to Allingham on 11 September 2004 when he was given the Freedom of the Town of Saint-Omer. The lowermost medal is France's highest military award, the Lgion d'honneur, in which he was appointed a chevalier in 2003 and promoted to officier to 2009. The remaining two medals are British Campaign Medals from the First World War. The leftmost award on his breast is the British War Medal and to its right is the Victory Medal; those two medals are colloquially known as "Mutt and Jeff". The two pictured medals are actually replacement medals supplied by the Ministry of Defence after discovering at a recent cenotaph parade that Allingham's original campaign medals were destroyed during the Blitz of the Second World War.

Honorary awards

As well as the above mentioned decorations, Allingham won several awards and honorary memberships. Examples include the Pride of Britain award, and being made an honorary member of the Fleet Air Arm Association.

Although not formally qualified he was recognised by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) who presented him with a Chartered Engineer award on 19 December 2008.

Allingham had the following to say about the award:

Since entering the engineering profession I always hoped to become a chartered engineer, but when I was younger we just couldn afford it. It something I never thought would happen for me, so to receive this honorary certificate from IMechE is a lifetime goal finally realised. I am very grateful to the Institution for presenting me with the award.

This was followed on 22 May 2009 with the award of an honorary doctorate in engineering at the Southampton Solent University by the university's chancellor, the former First Sea Lord Alan West, for his contribution to Britain and its allies during two world wars and his continuing charity work, especially connected with veteran servicemen and women.

Death and funeral

Henry Allingham's funeral cortge leaving St Dunstan's en route to St Nicholas' Church

He died of natural causes in his sleep at 3:10 am on 18 July 2009 at his care home, St Dunstan's Centre in Ovingdean near Brighton, aged 113 years and 42 days.

Allingham's funeral took place at St Nicholas' Church, Brighton at 12:00 on 30 July 2009, with full military honours. His coffin was carried by three Royal Navy seamen and three RAF airmen. The service was preceded by a half-muffled quarter peal on the church's bells, rung by local ringers and members of the RAF and Royal Navy change ringing associations. Among the mourners was the Duchess of Gloucester, representing the Queen, and Veteran's Minister Kevan Jones. Senior Royal Navy and Royal Air Force officers, including Vice-Admiral Sir Adrian Johns and Air Vice-Marshal Peter Dye, represented the two services of which Allingham had been a member. Allingham's surviving daughter, Betty Hankin, 89, attended the funeral, with several members of her family. The funeral was followed by a flypast of five replica First World War aircraft; British and French buglers played the Last Post and Reveille; and a bell was tolled 113 times, once for each year of his life.

The BBC commissioned Carol Ann Duffy, the Poet Laureate, to write a poem to mark the deaths of Allingham and Harry Patch (who died one week after Allingham on 25 July 2009). The result, Last Post, was read by Duffy on the BBC Radio 4 programme Today on the day of Allingham's funeral.

See also

List of British supercentenarians

References

Notes

^ "Hero Henry Allingham "honoured" to be given freedom of Brighton and Hove". The Argus (Brighton). 30 April 2009. http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/henry_allingham/4334090.Hero_Henry_Allingham__honoured__to_be_given_freedom_of_Brighton_and_Hove. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 

^ a b "Veteran is UK's oldest ever man". BBC News. 29 March 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7970710.stm. Retrieved 29 March 2009. 

^ "VERIFIED SUPERCENTENARIAN CASES -- UNITED KINGDOM (As of Apr. 16, 2007)". grg.org. http://www.grg.org/Adams/L/UK.HTM. Retrieved 30 July 2009. 

^ "UK man is 'world's oldest' at 113". BBC News. 19 June 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/8108746.stm. Retrieved 19 June 2009. 

^ a b "Oldest WWI veteran dies aged 113". BBC News. 18 July 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8157128.stm. Retrieved 18 Juy 2009. 

^ "Britain's oldest war veterans meet Service chiefs at the Ministry of Defence". Ministry of Defence. 11 July 2007. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. http://collections.europarchive.org/tna/20081013114531/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/HistoryAndHonour/BritainsOldestWarVeteransMeetServiceChiefsAtTheMinistryOfDefence.htm. 

^ "Brew for the Few Launch". Royal Air Forces Association. 17 September 2007. Archived from the original on 2 December 2007. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rafa.org.uk%2Fnews-press.asp%3Fid%3D130%26start%3D0&date=2007-12-01. 

^ a b "War veteran launches Poppy Day scratchcard". The Daily Telegraph. 16 October 2003. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. http://www.webcitation.org/5TlxKydWY. 

^ a b December 2007 "Britain's oldest man - 111 today". 6 June 2007. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2363444.html?menu=news.quirkies.heartwarmers&date=1 December 2007. 

^ a b c d e f g h i j k "British Air Services Memorial St Omer". Royal Air Force. 20 August 2004. Archived from the original on 9 January 2007. http://collections.europarchive.org/tna/20070109040508/http://www.raf.mod.uk/ptc/stomerln18.html. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 

^ a b c "Pride of Britain is awarded to Henry Allingham". St Dunstan's. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. http://www.webcitation.org/5TlxWo1fC. 

^ a b December 2007 "World War I veterans receives new honour". BBC Online. 6 October 2005. Archived from the original on 2 December 2007. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2F1%2Fhi%2Fengland%2Fsouthern_counties%2F4314000.stm&date=1 December 2007. Retrieved 5 January 2010. 

^ "Maybe It's Because He Was A Londoner: Henry Allingham". londonist.com. 19 July 2009. http://londonist.com/2009/07/oldest_londoner_dies.php. Retrieved 20 July 2009. 

^ December 2007 "Remembrance: The old man and the boy, united by grief". The Independent. 4 November 2007. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article3127348.ece&date=1 December 2007. 

^ "110 not out Henry Allingham supports Surrey". 27 May 2007. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=https://www.surreycricket.com/news/110-not-out-henry-allingham-supports-surrey,5598,NS.html&date=2007-12-01. 

^ "Royal tributes for oldest veteran". BBC News Online. 18 July 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8157447.stm. Retrieved 20 December 2009. 

^ "RAF's oldest hero". RAF. Archived from the original on 11 August 2008. http://collections.europarchive.org/tna/20081108104809/http://www.raf.mod.uk/news/archive.cfm?storyid=72FA6D51-1143-EC82-2E02D1E42DF97199. Retrieved 11 November 2008. 

^ a b c December 2007 "A portrait of Henry Allingham". portraits.co.uk. December 2005. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.portraits.co.uk/henrystory.html&date=1 December 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 

^ a b Allingham and Goodwin, p. 113

^ Allingham and Goodwin, pp. 133-137

^ Allingham and Goodwin, p. 137

^ a b "Hackney People   Henry Allingham". London Borough of Hackney. 24 March 2009. http://www.hackney.gov.uk/hackney-people-henry-allingham.htm. Retrieved 4 June 2009. 

^ "The long life of Henry Allingham". The Daily Telegraph. 18 July 2009. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5856487/The-long-life-of-Henry-Allingham.html. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 

^ "Air Mechanic Henry Allingham". Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/naval-obituaries/5865484/Air-Mechanic-Henry-Allingham.html. Retrieved 21 July 2009. 

^ a b "Feud that broke the heart of the world's oldest man, Henry Allingham". Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1202000/Feud-broke-heart-worlds-oldest-man-Henry-Allingham.html. Retrieved 2009-07-30. 

^ Taylor, Jerome (20 June 2009). "Cigarettes, whisky, and wild, wild women". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/cigarettes-whisky-and-wild-wild-women-1710744.html. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 

^ a b "Great War veteran honoured". The Argus (Brighton). 22 April 2006. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2006/4/22/210069.html&date=2007-12-01. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 

^ a b "UK's oldest man Allingham is 113". BBC News. 6 June 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8086514.stm. Retrieved 20 June 2009. 

^ "Veterans mark UK entry into WWI". BBC News Online. 4 August 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3532584.stm. Retrieved 20 August 2009. 

^ "Smell of death 'stays with you always'". BBC News Online. 13 November 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4429218.stm. Retrieved 20 August 2009. 

^ "Prince William duty and sorrow". Princess Diana News. http://dianaremembered.wordpress.com/2007/11/12/prince-williams-duty-and-sorrow/. Retrieved 20 August 2009. 

^ Allingham and Goodwin, p. 165

^ December 2007 "World War I veteran honoured by home town". BBC News. 21 April 2006. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/4931102.stm&date=1 December 2007. Retrieved 5 January 2010. 

^ a b "Aged 111, Britain's oldest birthday boy just 'pleased to see another tomorrow'". The Daily Mail. 6 June 2007. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. http://www.webcitation.org/5TlxYn7z4. Retrieved 17 September 2009. 

^ "Henry Allingham Helps Launch Poppies in Eastbourne". Eastbourne Borough Council. 2 November 2006. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.eastbourne.gov.uk/index.asp?pgid=11672&date=2007-12-01. 

^ "Founder member Henry Allingham on the RAF at 90". Daily Mirror (Trinity Mirror). http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2008/04/01/founder-member-henry-allingham-on-the-raf-at-90-115875-20369232/. Retrieved 2 December 2009. 

^ "Britain's oldest man reaches 112". BBC News. 6 June 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7439117.stm. Retrieved 8 June 2008. 

^ "Oldest veteran visits Eurofighter". BBC News. 28 June 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/7479315.stm. Retrieved 1 July 2008. 

^ "Oldest man writes his life story". BBC News. 23 September 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7632416.stm. Retrieved 25 September 2008. 

^ Kennedy, Maev (12 November 2008). "Last survivors of first world war salute the fallen". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/12/first-world-war-military. Retrieved 12 November 2008. 

^ "WWI veteran now 'oldest scout'". BBC News. 18 November 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/sussex/7735936.stm. Retrieved 19 November 2008. 

^ "Henry Allingham". Living Tribute. http://www.lastingtribute.co.uk/tribute/allingham/2841546. Retrieved 20 August 2009. 

^ "Validated Living Supercentenarians". 29 November 2007. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.grg.org%2FAdams%2FE.HTM&date=2007-12-01. Retrieved 19 July 2009.  (As of 19 July 2009, archive appears empty and current link obviously omits Allingham).

^ Guinness World Records (15 February 2007). "Florence Emily Baldwin takes the title as the new Oldest Woman in the UK" (PDF). Press release. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/mediazone/pdfs/news/070215_Oldest_Woman_in_the_UK_dies.pdf&date=2007-12-01. 

^ David Smith (12 November 2005). December 2007 "Calls grow to grant last Great War veteran a state funeral". The Observer. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1664649,00.html&date=1 December 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 

^ "Nation to commemorate passing of First World War generation". Ministry of Defence. 27 June 2006. Archived from the original on 5 March 2008. http://collections.europarchive.org/tna/20080305140530/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/HistoryAndHonour/NationToCommemoratePassingOfFirstWorldWarGeneration.htm. 

^ December 2007 "Last surviving officer of the Great War dies at 107". The Northern Echo. 14 April 2007. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://archive.thenorthernecho.co.uk/2007/4/14/234749.html&date=1 December 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 

^ a b Allingham and Goodwin, p. 172

^ Patch, Harry; Richard van Emden (6 August 2008). The Last Fighting Tommy. Bloomsbury. p. 256. ISBN 0747591156. 

^ Allingham and Goodwin, p. 171

^ Malvern, Jack (17 March 2009). "France honours Henry Allingham, 112, the veteran who cannot forget". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article5920601.ece. Retrieved 16 March 2009. 

^ "Navy medals office replaces Allingham's campaign medals". Navy News. 29 March 2005. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20050828075114/http://www.navynews.co.uk/articles/2005/0503/0005032905.asp. 

^ a b Swain, Mike (19 December 2008). "First World War veteran honoured with mechanics' award". Daily Mirror. http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/science/2008/12/first-world-war-veteran-honour.html. Retrieved 4 June 2009. 

^ "UK's oldest man awarded doctorate". BBC News. 22 May 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8063424.stm. Retrieved 28 May 2009. 

^ "Hooray for Henry the Engineer". Rye and Battle Observer. 29 May 2009. http://www.ryeandbattleobserver.co.uk/eastbourne-news/Hooray-for-Henry-the-engineer.5308112.jp. Retrieved 4 June 2009. 

^ "Henry Allingham 1896-2009". Western Front Association. 21 July 2009. http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/news/newsflash/974-henry-allingham-1896-2009.html. Retrieved 26 October 2009. 

^ Sawer, Patrick (18 July 2009). "World's oldest man Henry Allingham dies". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5856015/Worlds-oldest-man-Henry-Allingham-dies.html. Retrieved 18 July 2009. 

^ "St Dunstan's". St Dunstan. http://www.st-dunstans.org.uk/. Retrieved 20 July 2009. 

^ "Funeral date set for oldest man". BBC News Online. 21 July 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/8162101.stm. Retrieved 21 July 2009. 

^ "Henry Allingham's funeral details". Brighton & Hove City Council. 23 July 2009. http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/index.cfm?request=c1209276. Retrieved 30 July 2009. 

^ "Performance Detailson Associationrighton, Sussext Nicolas of Myra Thursday, 30 July 2009". Campanophile. 30 July 2009. http://www.campanophile.co.uk/view.aspx?86809. Retrieved 30 July 2009. 

^ a b "Hundreds at WWI veteran's funeral". BBC News Online. 30 July 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8175751.stm. Retrieved 30 July 2009. 

^ Valentine Low. "Estranged daughter joins veteran Henry's send-off". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/estranged-daughter-joins-veteran-henrys-sendoff-1764970.html. Retrieved 30 July 2009. 

^ "WWI veteran Henry Allingham laid to rest in Brighton". UK Ministry of Defence. 30 July 2009. http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/HistoryAndHonour/WwiVeteranHenryAllinghamLaidToRestInBrighton.htm. Retrieved 17 August 2009. 

^ "Poems for the last of WWI". BBC. 6 August 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8175000/8175790.stm. Retrieved 6 August 2009. 

Autobiography

Allingham, Henry; Goodwin, Denis (2008). Kitchener's Last Volunteer. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 9781845964160. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Henry Allingham

BBC video on YouTube about Henry Allingham attending a WWII reunion

Distinguished visitor brings WWI to life

View the WW1 RNAS service record of Henry Allingham

BBC News report on Henry Allingham

British Air Services Memorial at Saint-Omer

Mirror article: Secret of long life by WWI vet, 109

Fly-past for Britain's oldest man

Britain's oldest veteran recalls WWI

Cricket's oldest fan

Allingham's views on the poppy debate

Report on Henry Allingham speaking at Hazelwick School on March 16, 2007

MP3 of Henry Allingham speaking at Hazelwick School on March 16, 2007

BBC News report about Henry Allingham's visit to a school in Tamworth on April 18, 2007

BBC news article about Henry Allingham's birthday celebrations on June 6, 2007

First World war veteran: "I will never forget". Video from The Guardian for Armistice Day 2008.

BBC news article about Henry Allingham's 113th birthday celebrations on 6th June 2009

Obituary (BBC)

Video interviews conducted with Henry Allingham May 2009 (StoryVault)

Obituaryenry Allinghamirst world war veteran and world's oldest man, The Guardian

Records

Preceded by

Tomoji Tanabe

Oldest recognised living man

19 June 2009  18 July 2009

Succeeded by

Walter Breuning

v  d  e

Oldest man in the world since 1961

Joseph Saint-Amour  John Mosely Turner  Khasako Dzugayev  Friedrich Wedeking  Frederick Butterfield  Shigechiyo Izumi  Joe Thomas  Herman Smith-Johannsen  Alphaeus Philemon Cole  John Evans  Henri Prignon  James Wiggins  Frederick L. Frazier  Josep Armengol Jover  Christian Mortensen  Johnson Parks  Walter Richardson  Denzo Ishizaki  Antonio Urrea-Hernndez  John Painter  Antonio Todde  Yukichi Chuganji  Joan Riudavets  Fred Hale  Emiliano Mercado del Toro  Tomoji Tanabe  Henry Allingham  Walter Breuning

See also Ageing  Oldest people  List of the verified oldest men

v  d  e

Aviation in World War I

People and aircraft

Commanders  Aces  Aircraft of the Entente Powers  Aircraft of the Central Powers  Zeppelins  World War I aircraft

Entente Powers air services

British air services (Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force)  French Air Service  Imperial Russian Air Force  Italian Military Air Corps  United States Army Air Service

Central Powers air services

German Air Service  Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops  Ottoman Air Force  Bulgarian Army Aeroplane Section

Persondata

NAME

Allingham, Henry William

ALTERNATIVE NAMES

SHORT DESCRIPTION

Supercentenarian First World War veteran and oldest verified living man

DATE OF BIRTH

1896-6-6

PLACE OF BIRTH

Clapton, County of London, England

DATE OF DEATH

2009-7-18

PLACE OF DEATH

Ovingdean, near Brighton, East Sussex, England

Categories: 1896 births | 2009 deaths | Disease-related deaths in England | English autobiographers | English supercentenarians | Officiers of the Lgion d'honneur | People associated with Scouting | People from Upper Clapton | Royal Air Force airmen | Royal Air Force personnel of World War I | Royal Navy personnel of World War I | Royal Navy sailors | World record holders