Military Figure. At his death he was the sixth from last survivor, and third to last British veteran, of the Great War and had been for his final month month the oldest man on Earth. Raised in a London suburb, he attended a London County Council school, made surgical instruments at Bart's Hospital, and eventually worked for a coach builder that specialized in car bodies. Mr. Allingham desired to enlist in the Army at the outbreak of World War I but his mother's health prevented him from doing so, though with her death he joined the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) in August 1915. After training he was posted to the RNAS Air Station at Great Yarmouth where he worked as an aircraft mechanic. Mr. Allingham flew as an observer and gunner, saw action on a ship at the 1916 Battle of Jutland off the Danish Coast, and was wounded at the Third Battle of Ypres. In April 1918 he became a founding member of the Royal Air Force when the RNAS was merged with the Royal Flying Corps. After the Armistice he was briefly assigned to Cologne, Germany, prior to mustering out in April 1919. A self-taught automotive design engineer, he worked for several firms before joining Ford Motor Company in 1934. During World War II his status as an engineer made him part of a reserved occupation; assigned to develop ways of de-fusing German undersea mines, he was able to accomplish the task in minimal time. Retiring from Ford in 1960 he showed little interest in veteran's groups until about 2001 after which he was quite active, travelling extensively. He lived on his own until May 2006 when failing vision forced him into St. Dunstan's Home. Though denied a formal engineering education by economic circumstances his accomplishments in the profession were honoured by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers with a Chartered Engineer award in 2008 then in May of 2009 he received an honourary doctorate in engineering from Southampton Solent University. Mr. Allingham's autobiography entitled "Kitchener's Last Volunteer" was published in 2008; his awards include the Gold Medal of Saint-Omer, the British War Medal, the Victory Medal, and the French Legion d'honneur. At his death he was thought to have been the second to last British veteran of World War I save for Harry Patch who died a week later, however a subsequent search discovered the records of Mrs. Florence Green who at her 2012 demise was the final verifiable survivor of the Great War. When asked at the Somme in 2008 how he wished to be remembered he replied: "I don't-I want to be forgotten-remember the others".∼World's Oldest Man
Born in Upper Clapton, England, Was named as World's Oldest Man by Guinness World Records in June 2009. Was made Officer of France's Legion d'Honneur in 2003. Received the Freedom of Eastbourne April 21, 2006. Co-wrote "Kitchener's Last Volunteer.
Died Saturday, July 17th, 2009, funeral to be within the end of the month.