Briton says becoming world’s oldest man at 111 is ‘pure luck’

An 111-year-old man from England is now the world’s oldest living man and says the only diet he follows is eating fish and chips every Friday.

John Alfred Tinniswood, who was born in 1912 – the same year the Titanic sank – insist the secret to his long life is “pure luck”. He obtained the title of world’s oldest man after 112-year-old Gisaburo Sonobe, from Japan, was confirmed to have died on 31 March.

Reflecting on his longevity, Tinniswood told Guinness World Records: “You either live long or you live short, and you can’t do much about it.”

Tinniswood, who is a great-grandfather, was born in Liverpool and now lives in a care home in Southport. Having become the UK’s oldest man in 2020, Tinniswood is unfazed by his newfound status as the oldest man in the world.

“Doesn’t make any difference to me,” he said. “Not at all. I accept it for what it is.”

Since turning 100 in 2012, he received a birthday card each year from the late Queen Elizabeth, who was his junior by almost 14 years. Giving advice for younger generations, he said: “Always do the best you can, whether you’re learning something or whether you’re teaching someone.

“Give it all you’ve got. Otherwise it’s not worth bothering with.”

He said that he gets a fish supper each Friday at the home, adding: “I eat what they give me and so does everybody else. I don’t have a special diet.

“If you drink too much or you eat too much or you walk too much, if you do too much of anything, you’re going to suffer eventually.”

Tinniswood can still perform most daily tasks independently – he gets out of bed unassisted, listens to the radio to keep up with the news and still manages his own finances.

He lived through both world wars and is the world’s oldest surviving male veteran of the second world war, as he worked in an administrative role for the Army Pay Corps.

In addition to accounts and auditing, his work involved logistical tasks such as locating stranded soldiers and organising food supplies.

A lifelong Liverpool FC fan, Tinniswood was born just 20 years after the club was founded in 1892 and has lived through all eight of his club’s FA Cup wins and 17 of their 19 league title wins.

When asked how the world around him has changed throughout his life, Tinniswood said: “The world, in its way, is always changing.

“It’s a sort of ongoing experience … It’s getting a little better but not all that much yet. It’s going the right way.”

He met his wife, Blodwen, at a dance in Liverpool and the couple enjoyed 44 years together before she died in 1986.

The oldest man ever was Jiroemon Kimura from Japan, who lived to the age of 116 years 54 days and died in 2013. The world’s oldest living woman and oldest living person overall is Spain’s Maria Branyas Morera, who recently celebrated her 117th birthday.