Britain’s oldest man frowns on birthday cards from Her Majesty
BRITAIN’s oldest man celebrates his 109th birthday today – but he does not want another card from the Queen.
Robert Weighton was born in March 1908 in Hull, the middle of seven children. He has three children of his own, 10 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. He lives in a flat in Alton, Hants, and has collected three telegrams from the Queen since turning 100, but has chosen not to receive one every year.
He said: “I decided not to receive a card every year from the Queen, because I didn’t want a huge collection of cards that I add to every year. However, I did accept one from her two years ago, because it’s the only one I’d seen that she was smiling on.
“In the rest of the cards she looked a bit miserable while on official duties.” The 109-year-old studied marine engineering, but by the time he had qualified in 1925 the shipping industry was in decline and so he went to Taiwan instead where he worked as an English teacher. “I always wanted to do something to promote peace, particularly with the likes of Hitler and Mussolini being in power at the time,” he said. “I met my future wife, Agnes, while we were both training to become teachers before heading abroad, but she was already scheduled to travel to Ghana.”
In 1937, he and Agnes were married in Hong Kong after she decided to join him in Asia. Their first son David was born a year later. The family were stranded in Canada during the Second World War, as they tried to make their way home.
The centenarian, who still lives independently and goes to the supermarket several times a week, spent the end of his working life as a lecturer in marine engineering at City University in London, until his retirement in 1973.
Asked about the secret to his longevity, Mr Weighton said: “I think I have just been fortunate really. As with everything in my life, it has just kind of happened to me, it’s not been my choice and I have had to make the best of it.”