John Alfred Tinniswood (born 26 August 1912) is a British

supercentenarian A supercentenarian (sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian) is a person who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of major age-related diseases u ...

who, at the age of , has been the world's oldest verified living man since the death of 112-year-old

Shi Ping Shi Ping (; 25 March 1934 – 10 May 2016) was a Chinese aircraft designer, who is responsible for the development of the two-seat intermediate jet trainer Hongdu JL-8. He was a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Biography Shi was b ...

of China on 29 June 2024.

Personal life

John Alfred Tinniswood was born on 26 August 1912 in Liverpool, Lancashire, (now

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...

) England. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he could not enlist as a soldier due to his poor eyesight, and as a result, he held an administrative role within the Royal Army Pay Corps as an accountant and auditor. He was also involved in logistical tasks, such as locating stranded soldiers and organising food supplies. He met his future wife, Blodwen (née Roberts), at a dance during the war; they married in 1942 and their only child, Susan, was born in 1944. Tinniswood went on to work as an accountant for

Royal Mail , kw, Postya Riel, ga, An Post Ríoga , logo = Royal Mail.svg , logo_size = 250px , type = Public limited company , traded_as = , foundation = , founder = Henry VIII , location = London, England, UK , key_people = * Keith Williams ...

and Shell-Mex and BP before retiring in 1972. Blodwen died from lung cancer in 1986, after 44 years of marriage.

Later life

In his later years, Tinniswood moved to a care home in

Southport, Merseyside Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Irish ...

. His 110th birthday in August 2022 was accompanied by a live music performance at his residence, and he also received a clock paying tribute to

Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has p ...

, of which Tinniswood is an avid fan. As of April 2024, he has four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Health and longevity

Tinniswood became the oldest living British man on 25 September 2020, upon the death of 108-year-old Harry Fransman. In interviews given on his 109th and 111th birthdays, he stated that the key to his longevity was "moderation". Upon being recognised by

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for being the world's oldest man, he also stated that his longevity was "pure luck" and that "You either live long or you live short, and you can’t do much about it". On 2 April 2024, upon the death of 114-year-old

Juan Vicente Pérez Juan Vicente Pérez Mora (born 27 May 1909) is a Venezuelan supercentenarian who, aged , has been the Oldest people#Chronological list of the oldest living man since 1973, world's oldest verified living man since the death of Spain's List of Span ...

of Venezuela, Tinniswood was declared the oldest living man in the world and received recognition from Guinness World Records two days later. However, Chinese man

and Frenchman Georges Thomas, both born in November 1911, were older and were yet to be verified by researchers. Tinniswood became the oldest European man on 1 June 2024, upon the death of Thomas, and on 29 June, following Shi's death, actually became the world’s oldest man. Owing to his administrative and logistical role during the Second World War, he was also said to be "the world's oldest surviving male World War II

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

" upon being recognised by Guinness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tinniswood, John 1912 births Living people Men supercentenarians British supercentenarians People from Liverpool People from Merseyside People from Southport English accountants British auditors BP people Royal Mail people Shell plc people 20th-century British people 21st-century British people English centenarians British men centenarians

Personal life

Later life

Health and longevity

See also

References