John Tinniswood, an Englishman born the same year the Titanic sank and who survived two world wars and two global pandemics, has died aged 112, Guinness World Records said on Tuesday, months after it recognised him as the world’s oldest man.
Tinniswood passed away on Monday at a care home in Southport, northwest England, surrounded by “music and love”, his family told Guinness World Records in a statement.
“John had many fine qualities. He was intelligent, decisive, brave, calm in any crisis, talented at maths and a great conversationalist,” his family said.
Born in August 1912 in Liverpool, he went on to meet his wife Blodwen at a dance before marrying her in 1942, at the height of World War II when he served in the Royal Army Pay Corps, which was responsible for finances and food supplies.
Tinniswood, who is survived by a daughter, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, later worked as an accountant in the oil industry before retiring aged 60. His wife died in 1986.
From the age of 100 to 110 he received a birthday card each year from the late Queen Elizabeth, who was 14 years his junior. She died in 2022.
Besides eating a portion of his favourite food (battered fish and chips) every Friday, Tinniswood followed no special diet.
He stayed mentally active, keeping up with the news and managing his own finances, which may have contributed to his longevity, Guinness World Records said.
When Guinness World Records awarded him the title of world’s oldest man in April this year, Tinniswood said there was no huge secret to his longevity, insisting it was “just luck”.
“You either live long or you live short, and you can’t do much about it,” he said.
(Reuters)