Thursday, July 23, 2009

Henry Allingham, 113-- Oldest Man and World War I Veteran-- Part 2

Henry Patch, 111, is one of the last two surviving British World War I veterans. Claude Choules, 108, is the other. Mr. Choules served in the Royal Navy and now lives in Australia since the 1920s.

The July 18th Marine Corps Times reported that Henry Allingham was born June 6, 18996 during the reign of Queen Victoria and remembers sitting on his grandfather's shoulders for King Edward the VII's coronation in 1902, back when most transportation was by horses or train.

He left school at age 15 and worked in an east London car factory.

When World War I started, he spent the first several months refitting trucks for military duty.

His mother died in June 1915 and soon after that, he saw a plane flying and was captivated by it. He decided to get involved with them and joined the Royal Naval Air Service where he worked as a mechanic trying to keep the rickety contraptions flying. He also flew as an observer.

More to Come. --Cooter

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