Henry Allingham
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| Henry Allingham | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 6, 1896 (age 110) Clapham |
| Occupation | British World War I veteran |
Henry Allingham (born June 6, 1896) has been the oldest surviving British veteran of World War I since July 20, 2003 upon the death of then 108-year-old Jack Davis. He is also believed to be Britain's longest-lived member of the armed forces since George Ives died in 1993 at age 111, and Britain's oldest living man. On February 13, 2007, he became the UK's second-oldest living person, behind Florrie Baldwin, also 110, when 111-year-old Aida Mason died.
He is the last survivor of the Battle of Jutland as well as the last surviving founding member of the RAF. Allingham credits "cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women — and a good sense of humour" for his longevity.
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[edit] Pre-World War I
Allingham was born in Clapham, and his father died when he was only 14 months old. Brought up by his mother and grandparents, he attended the London County Council School, before going to work as a surgical instrument maker at St Barts Hospital. However, he did not find this job very interesting, and so left to join a coachbuilders specialising in car bodies.
The 2007 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack reports that Allingham witnessed W. G. Grace playing cricket, around 1903-5.
[edit] World War I
Allingham wanted to join the war effort in August 1914 as a Despatch Rider, but his mother managed to persuade him to stay at home and look after her. However, after his mother died Allingham joined the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). He became formally rated as an Air Mechanic Second Class on September 21, 1915 and was posted to Chingford before completing his training.
After graduation, Allingham joined the RNAS Air Station at Great Yarmouth. On April 13, 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 his chance to speak to him. Allingham also worked in Bacton, Norfolk, further up the coast, where night-flying was conducted.
In May 1916, he was ordered to join HMS Kingfisher, which was carrying a Sopwith seaplane, where he was still posted when the Battle of Jutland began. Although the trawler was not directly involved in the battle (it shadowed the British Grand Fleet and then the High Seas Fleet), Henry can still make a proper claim to be the last known survivor of that battle.
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 Henry arrived at Petite-Synthe, both the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the RNAS were involved in the Ypres offensive.
On November 12, 1917, he was posted to the Aircraft Depot at Dunkirk, where he remained for the rest of the war, on aircraft repair and recovery duties.
He transferred to the Royal Air Force when the RNAS and the RFC were merged on April 1, 1918. At that time he was ranked as a Rigger Aero, Aircraft Mechanic Second Class and was given a new service number - 208317. He is believed to be the last surviving founding member of the RAF.
Allingham returned to the Home Establishment in February 1919 and was formally discharged to the RAF Reserve on April 16, 1919. He then joined Ford Motor Company, where he worked until his retirement.
[edit] The inter-war period
Shortly after being discharged Henry married Dorothy, whom he had met at Great Yarmouth. This marriage lasted 53 years and produced two daughters. Henry now has six grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren, 13 great, great grandchildren and one great, great, great grandchild, all but one of whom live in the United States of America.
[edit] World War II
During World War II Henry was in a reserved occupation and worked on a number of different 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. Nine days later Henry returned after successfully completing this task.
[edit] After World War II
As the last surviving member of the British Air Services and the aforementioned last living founder member of the RAF Henry was an honoured guest when the British Air Services Memorial was unveiled on September 11, 2004. The group of RAF technical trainees that joined him at this ceremony continue to visit Henry at his retirement home in Eastbourne, demonstrating the bond of respect that these men have for Henry, made even more remarkable since almost 90 years separate these young trainees from Mr. Allingham. During this time Henry was given the Gold Medal of St-Omer, which marked the award of the Freedom of the Town.
Henry was one of only four British WWI veterans who attended the ceremony at the Cenotaph in London to mark 90 years since Britain entered the First World War. The ceremony took place on August 4, 2004. He also marched past the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday in 2005 and laid wreaths at memorials in St Omer on Armistice Day.
He was awarded the Freedom of his home town of Eastbourne by the mayor on April 21, 2006.
A couple of weeks later on, in May, he moved to St Dunstan's, a charity for blind ex-service personnel, at Ovingdean, near Brighton. He turned 110 another month later.
Mr. Allingham attended the July 1 commemorations at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing in 2006.
Mr. Allingham did not attend the 2006 Remembrance Day parade on November 11 at the Cenotaph as he was away laying a wreath in France, where on the same day he received the Freedom of St. Omer.
[edit] Age records
Mr. Allingham has been the oldest living man in England for several years. Official Guinness recognition came in January 2007.
Since the death of French supercentenarian Maurice Floquet on November 10, 2006, Mr. Allingham is the oldest living validated man in Europe.
On February 8, 2007, with the passing of 110-year-old Antonio Pierro, Henry Allingham became the oldest known living veteran of World War I, as well as the third-oldest living man in the world.
[edit] See also
- George Frederick Ives (last Boer War veteran)
- Robert Meier (Germany's oldest living man, until his death in January 2007, and fellow World War I veteran, whom Henry met in October 2006)
- Oldest people
- Supercentenarian
- Surviving veterans of World War I
[edit] External links
- BBC News report on Henry Allingham
- British Air Services Memorial at St Omer
- BBC News report on the award of the freedom of Eastbourne
- 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
- Henry'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
