112-year-old ‘takes life slowly’

EUROPE’s oldest man, World War I veteran Henry Allingham, marked his 112th birthday yesterday by enjoying a flypast of fighter aircraft from the Battle of Britain.

The Briton — who attributes his longevity to “cigarettes, whisky, and wild, wild women” — watched as a Lancaster bomber flanked by two Spitfires roared over an RAF base in Lincolnshire.

Born in 1896, Allingham saw active service in the Battle of Jutland in WWI and was one of the first members of the RAF.

In civilian life, he worked for Ford cars.

Now living in a care home, he said he struggled to explain his good health.

“I don’t think there’s a particular reason. The only thing I can say is all my life I have lived within my limitations, take life slowly, don’t get any stress or strains. The more birthdays I enjoy the longer I live. “People ask me how I’ve done it, and I just say that I look forward to another tomorrow.”

Grandson David Gray, 59, who lives in Michigan, said he was “remarkable”.

“Not only has he lived this long but he has still got his mental faculties intact.”

Henry’s wife of 51 years, Dorothy, died in 1970.