Henry Allingham: World's Oldest Man Dies At 113
Allingham was the last surviving original member of the Royal Air Force, which was formed in 1918. He made it a personal crusade to talk about a conflict that wiped out much of a generation. Though nearly blind, he would take the outstretched hands of visitors in both of his, gaze into the eyes of children, veterans and journalists and deliver a message he wanted them all to remember. "I want everyone to know," he told The Associated Press during an interview in November. "They died for us."
Allingham's funeral will take place in Brighton. He is survived by five grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, 14 great-great grandchildren and one great-great-great grandchild.
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I've got an amazing book by Max Arthur called "Last Post", it's a collection of interviews with the last 21 survivors of the First World War (including Allingham). I picked it up tonight and reread his remarkable story. He closes with "I've had a unique sort of life. I've scraped the barrel and I've had the cream." RIP, Henry.
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