John now world’s oldest living man at 111
A 111-YEAR-OLD man from England is now the world’s oldest living man, and said the secret to his longevity is “pure luck”.
John Alfred Tinniswood was born in Liverpool on August 26, 1912 – the same year the Titanic sank – and is a greatgrandfather currently residing at a care home in Southport, where staff describe him as “a big chatterbox”.
Mr Tinniswood’s exact age is 111 years 224 days as of yesterday. On the secret to his longevity, the record-holder said: “It’s pure luck.”
“You either live long or you live short, and you can’t do much about it,” he added.
Beyond eating a portion of battered fish and chips every Friday, Mr Tinniswood said he does not follow any particular diet.
“I eat what they give me and so does everybody else. I don’t have a special diet,” he said.
“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 added.
Mr Tinniswood lived through both world wars and is the world’s oldest surviving male Second World War veteran, as he worked in an administrative role for the Army Pay Corps.
In addition to accounts and auditing, his work involved logistical tasks such as locating stranded soldiers and organising food supplies.
A lifelong Liverpool FC fan, Mr Tinniswood was born just 20 years after the club was founded in 1892 and has lived through all eight of his club’s FA Cup wins and 17 of their 19 league title wins.
Mr Tinniswood met his wife, Blodwen, at a dance in Liverpool and the couple enjoyed 44 years together before Blodwen passed away in 1986.
The world’s oldest living woman is Spain’s Maria Branyas Morera, who recently celebrated her 117th birthday.