Friday, June 06, 2008
RANDOM WW1 POST
Oldest World War I veteran marks 112th birthday
CRANWELL, England (CNN) -- Britain's oldest man and the oldest living veteran of World War I was celebrating his 112th birthday Friday with a party and a fly-past at an air force base.
Henry Allingham pictured at a 90th anniversary celebration of the Royal Air Force earlier this year.
Henry Allingham is the last surviving member of the Royal Naval Air Service, which he joined in 1915. He saw action at the Battle of Jutland off Denmark the following year, according to the Ministry of Defense.
Allingham is also the last surviving founding member of the Royal Air Force, which was created in 1918, nine months before the end of the war. He left the service a year later, the defense ministry said.
Friday's events were happening at the Royal Air Force base in Cranwell, England, about 120 miles north of London. Friends of his at the base told CNN that Allingham, who arrived in a wheelchair, was looking "fresh."
After a birthday lunch, aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, an aerial display team, planned to fly overhead, the base said. Members of the Falcons Parachute Display Team then planned to drop in and present Allingham with a birthday card from the chief of Britain's air staff.
Allingham is Britain's oldest man and the oldest surviving member of the armed forces, according to Guinness World Records.
The former aircraft engineer still travels and makes public appearances at military events and commemorations.
In July 2007, Allingham had a private audience with Queen Elizabeth and attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace. In November, he laid a wreath in St. Omer, France -- where he was stationed during the war -- to celebrate Armistice Day, the end of World War I.
Allingham said last year he remains active to emphasize the importance of remembering the conflict.
"I don't do these things because I enjoy doing them, but to keep the memory alive of all my comrades who fought and died in the First World War," he told the Ministry of Defense. E-mail to a friend | Mixx it | Share
