Buzzoca

The world’s oldest man celebrates his 112th birthday this Monday.

 

John Tinniswood was born in Liverpool on 26 August 1912, the year the Titanic sank, according to the British press.

In April, he became the oldest living man in the world, following the death of 114-year-old Venezuelan Juan Vicente Pérez.

The secret to his longevity? The centenarian, who lives in a nursing home in Southport and is an avowed Liverpool supporter, attributed it all to ‘pure luck’.

‘I can’t think of any special secret I have. I was quite active when I was young, I did a lot of walking. Whether that had anything to do with it, I don’t know. But as far as I’m concerned, I’m no different from anyone else. I have no idea why I’ve lived so long,’ said John, quoted by Sky News.

According to Guinness World Records, he eats fish and chips every Friday, is still ‘able to carry out most daily tasks independently: he gets out of bed unaided, listens to the radio to keep up with the news and even manages his own finances’ and is ‘a great chatterbox’.

The elderly man worked in accountancy for the Shell and BP oil companies until he retired in 1972. But before that, he lived through two world wars. At the outbreak of the second, and despite having sight problems, the centenarian, who was 27 at the time, held an administrative position in the Army, making him the oldest surviving Second World War veteran in the world.

John met his wife, Blodwen, at a dance in Liverpool. One of his best memories is their wedding in 1942, a year before he had his daughter, Susan. The couple lived together for 44 years until Blodwen’s death in 1986. The man now has four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.