- Who
- John Tinniswood
- What
- 111:222 year(s):day(s)
- Where
- United Kingdom (Southport)
- When
The oldest person living (male) is John Tinniswood (UK, b. 26 August 1912) who is 111 years and 222 days old, as verified in Southport, Merseyside, UK, on 4 April 2024.
Having served in World War II as part of the Army Pay Corps, John is also the world's oldest surviving male WWII veteran. In addition to dealing with accounts and audits, he saved lives with his logistical work in locating stranded soldiers and organizing food supplies.
John was born just 20 years after his favourite football club, Liverpool FC, was founded in 1892. He has lived through all eight of their FA Cup wins, as well as 17 of their 19 league titles.
One of John's fondest memories is marrying his wife, Blodwen, in 1942, a year before having their daughter, Susan. The couple enjoyed 44 happy years together before Blodwen passed away in 1986. John now has four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
John says the secret to his long life is "pure luck". He said: “You either live long or you live short, and you can’t do much about it.”
Besides his weekly portion of battered fish and chips, John doesn't adhere to a strict diet: "I eat what they give me and so does everybody else. I don’t have a special diet," he said.
His incredible longevity may be partly attributed to the fact that he doesn't smoke and rarely drinks alcohol. John's main health tip is to do everything in moderation. "If you drink too much or you eat too much or you walk too much; if you do too much of anything, you’re going to suffer eventually,” he said.
John's advice for younger generations is: “Always do the best you can, whether you’re learning something or whether you’re teaching someone. Give it all you’ve got. Otherwise it’s not worth bothering with.”
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