World’s oldest man born in the year of Titanic disaster shares long life secret

John Tinniswood, the world’s oldest living man, has turned 112 at his care home in Southport, Merseyside.

Mr Tinniswood was born in Liverpool on August 26 1912, the year the Titanic sank, and became the world’s oldest living man in April, saying the secret of his longevity is “just luck”.

Asked how he feels to be turning 112, he told the Guinness World Records (GWR): “In all honesty, no different. I don’t feel that age, I don’t get excited over it. That’s probably why I’ve reached it.

“I just take it in my stride like anything else, why I’ve lived that long I have no idea at all.

“I can’t think of any special secrets I have. I was quite active as a youngster, I did a lot of walking. Whether that had something to do with it, I don’t know. But to me, I’m no different [to anyone]. No different at all.”

On what the biggest difference in the world is over the course of his life, he said: “It’s no better in my opinion, or hardly any better, than it was then. Probably in some places it is, but in other places it’s worse.”

On the secret of his longevity, he told GWR it’s “just luck.”

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“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.

Mr Tinniswood lived through both world wars and is the world’s oldest surviving male Second World War veteran. 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.

He went on to work as an accountant for Shell and BP before retiring in 1972.

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 died in 1986.

Their daughter Susan was born in 1943.

Since turning 100 in 2012, he received a birthday card each year from the late Queen Elizabeth, who was his junior by almost 14 years.

The oldest man ever was Jiroemon Kimura from Japan, who lived to the age of 116 years 54 days and died in 2013.

The world’s oldest living woman, and oldest living person, is Japan’s 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka.

The Independent