Henry Allingham

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Henry William Allingham (born June 6, 1896 in London , † July 18, 2009 in Brighton , East Sussex ) was one of the last survivors of the First World War and the longest living member of the British armed forces . He was a Supercentenarian and lived to be 113 years and 42 days. On March 29, 2009, Allingham became the oldest British man of all time before the Welshman John Evans, who died in 1990. Since the death of the Japanese Tomoji Tanabe (1895-2009), Allingham was considered the oldest living man in the world .

He was the last survivor of the Battle of the Skagerrak and one of the first members of the Royal Air Force (RAF).

Henry Allingham (2006)

Life

Allingham was born northeast of central London in Upper Clapton . His father died just fourteen months later. This is how he was raised by his mother and grandparents. He attended elementary school in London and then began an apprenticeship as a surgical instrument maker. He was not interested in the work, so he then moved to an auto body shop.

When war broke out in 1914, he wanted to contribute to the success, but the care of the seriously ill mother initially prevented him from registering as a volunteer. After her death, Allingham reported to the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). On September 21, 1915 he was admitted and initially stationed in Chingford before he received his basic training in Sheerness .

Allingham in RNAS uniform at age 20

After completing his training, Allingham was transferred to the RNAS Air Force Base in Great Yarmouth , where he worked as an aircraft mechanic. On April 13, 1916, King George V inspected the air base and the planes. Allingham was very disappointed that the king turned and left the moment he was about to address him. Allingham was later deployed to Bacton , Norfolk , where night flights were carried out. It was used in the Battle of the Skagerrak and later in France.

After World War I, Allingham returned home in February 1919 and was formally discharged from military service on April 16, 1919.

Allingham had already met Dorothy Cator the year before, whom he now married. In 1960 they moved to Eastbourne . The 51-year marriage resulted in two daughters. At the end of his life, Allingham had six grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, 14 great-great-grandchildren and one great-great-great-grandson, all but one of whom lived in the United States .

The Officier Légion d'honneur . Allingham received this medal in 2009.

At the age of 108, Henry Allingham was still able to walk independently, and only then was he dependent on a wheelchair . As frail as he was physically now, mentally he was still in good shape; he could still remember events that happened over 100 years ago.

Henry Allingham received a number of awards in his long life. On August 4, 2004, the veteran was awarded the Gold Medal of Saint-Omer . His second highest order is the highest military honor that France bestows, the Légion d'honneur : In 2003 Allingham was appointed chevalier , in 2009 officier of the Legion of Honor.

See also

The last World War I veterans in other countries included:

  • Florence Green (1901–2012), last British veteran of the First World War
  • Frank Buckles (1901–2011), last American veteran of the First World War
  • Claude Stanley Choules (1901–2011), British veteran of the First and Second World Wars (Australian citizen from 1926)
  • Harry Patch (1898–2009), last British Army veteran of the First World War
  • Louis de Cazenave (1897–2008), last World War I veteran who took part in the fighting as a French citizen
  • Lazare Ponticelli (1897–2008), last veteran of the First World War in the French Foreign Legion (French citizen from 1939)
  • Franz Künstler (1900–2008), last surviving veteran of Austria-Hungary during World War I (German citizen from 1946)
  • Erich Kästner (1900–2008), last surviving German soldier of the First World War
  • Charles Kuentz (1897–2005), last surviving German soldier from Alsace during the First World War (French citizen from 1919)

Web link

Commons : Henry Allingham  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Britain's oldest was veterans meet Service chiefs at the Ministry of Defense . July 11, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
  2. ^ Brew for The Few Launch - September 13, 2007 . Royal Air Forces Association. September 13, 2007. Archived from the original on December 1, 2007. Retrieved on July 19, 2009.
  3. ^ British Air Services Memorial St Omer . Archived from the original on November 20, 2004. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  4. ↑ Jack Malvern: France honors Henry Allingham, 112, the veteran who cannot forget . TimesOnline. March 17, 2009. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
personal data
SURNAME Allingham, Henry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Allingham, Henry William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British age record holder
DATE OF BIRTH June 6, 1896
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH July 18, 2009
Place of death Brighton