British WWI veteran becomes world's oldest man

British World War I veteran Henry Allingham was named Friday as the world's oldest man after the death of the Japanese record holder - and his spokesman said he would "take it in his stride." Guinness World Records said 113-year-old Allingham, who was born in Clapham, south London, on June 6 1896, took over the mantle after Tomoji Tanabe died at his home in southern Japan earlier in the day.
"It's staggering. He (Allingham) is philosophical. He will take it in his stride, like he does everything else," said Allingham's spokesman, Dennis Goodwin. "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".
Allingham has lived in three different centuries, seen six British monarchs on the throne, and has five grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, 14 great-great grandchildren and one great-great-great grandchild. An air force mechanic, he saw active service in the Battle of Jutland in World War I and was one of the founding members of the Royal Air Force. He is one of only two surviving veterans in Britain of the 1914-18 conflict.
Events he has lived through include the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the invention of television by John Logie Baird in the 1920s and the Wall Street crash of 1929.
In March, he was awarded France's Legion d'Honneur award - and voiced hope for the end of military conflict. "There will be no more wars, I hope. There will be one big nation," he said. "It's a tragedy you can never forget." His Japanese predecessor as the world's oldest man passed away with his relatives at his bedside, said an official in Miyakonojo City, where he lived. He had suffered from a chronic heart problem.
When Tanabe turned 113 on September 18, he said the secret to his longevity was a big appetite but a strict diet, together with avoiding alcohol, cigarettes and snacks. After Allingham, the world's next oldest man is the oldest living American, Walter Breuning, who was born on September 21, 1896, according to Damian Field of Guinness World Records. The world's oldest known person is 115-year-old Gertrude Baines who lives in Los Angeles.
Allingham, who lives in a care home for blind former armed services staff near Brighton, on the southern English coast, is one of three surviving Britons from World War I.