John Tinniswood: The world’s oldest living man turns 112

John Tinniswood, the world’s oldest living man, has turned 112 at his care home in Southport, Merseyside.

John was born in Liverpool on August 25, 1912, the same year the Titanic sank, and the same year New Mexico and Arizona were admitted as states number 47 and 48.

John Tinniswood, the world’s oldest living man, was born the year the Titanic sank

Mr Tinniswood became the world’s oldest living man in April, admitting his secret to longevity is “just luck.”

When asked how he felt about turning 112, John told the Guinness World Records, “In all honesty, no different. I don’t feel that age, I don’t get excited over it,” adding “That’s probably why I’ve reached it.”

The world’s oldest living man turns 112 and shares his wisdom

“I just take it in my stride like anything else, why I’ve lived that long I have no idea at all,” Tinniswood said, stating that he couldn’t “think of any special secrets” to reach his age. 

“I was quite active as a youngster, I did a lot of walking,” John said, “Whether that had something to do with it, I don’t know.”

John Tinniswood has remained humble in his year, explaining “to me, I’m no different [to anyone]. No different at all.”

The oldest man, born in 1912, expressed that for him, “It’s not better in my opinion, or hardly any better, than it was then. Probably in some places it is, but in other places it’s worse.”

When asked about his secret, John told Guinness World Records it’s “just luck,” stating “You either live long or you live short, and you can’t do much about it.”

The man didn’t even attribute his health to his diet, “I eat what they give me and so does everybody else,” saying, apart from battered fish and chips every Friday, “I don’t have a special diet.”

John Tinniswood lived through both World Wars

Mr Tinniswood lived through both world wars, is a Second World War veteran from the Army Pay Corps, and is now the oldest living man. 

John later worked as an accountant for Shell and BP before finally retiring in 1972.

As a lifelong Liverpool FC fan, John Tinniswood almost all of it, being born just 20 years after the club was founded in 1892, living through all eight of his club’s FA Cup wins, and 17 of their 19 league title wins.

John met Blodwen at a dance in Liverpool, and later married her, sticking together for 44 years and sharing a daughter, Susan, born in 1943; Blodwen passed away in 1986.

In 2012 John turned 100 years old, when he received his first birthday card from Queen Elizabeth, who was actually 14 years younger than the birthday boy. 

Japan has the oldest living person

Japan used to reign supreme in the category of oldest living in both genders, with the previous oldest man being Jiroemon Kimura, who lived to the age of 116 years and 54 days until 2013, and the current oldest living woman – and older living person – is Japan’s Tomiko Itooka, at 116 years old.