Britain's oldest pet dies as tortoise that survived two world wars passes away aged 130 after being bitten on the leg by a rat

Thomas, born in 1882, bitten on leg by rat and wound became infected

Tortoise outlived five monarchs and survived both World Wars

Survived Blitz attack and was pulled from rubble of bomb-hit house in Essex

He survived the Blitz, five monarchs and both World Wars.



But Thomas, who was Britain's oldest resident, has died aged 130 - after being bitten by a rat.

He was born in 1882 and was pulled out of the rubble of a bomb-hit house in Essex in 1945.

The reptile had to be put down by owner June Le Gallez after being attacked by a rat in the back garden of her home in Guernsey.

Thomas, who survived the Blitz, has died aged 130 after being bitten by a rat

Tearful June said: 'We are all very upset as you can imagine, Thomas was like a member of the family.

'He was put down after he was bitten on the leg by a rogue rat in the garden and the wound become so inflamed that it started pushing into his shell.



'Thomas was given antibiotics by vets after flies laid eggs in his wound and it appeared to be infected.

'But he wasn't eating or appearing to get any better, despite my attempts to feed him through a tube and bath him two times a day, so a week later as a family we made the decision to put him to sleep.'

Owner June Le Gallez, 54, from Guernsey, tried to do everything to keep Thomas alive

Thomas, pictured with James Le Gallez about 20 years ago, survived five monarch - but was defeated by a rat

Natural shell-ection: Thomas was born in 1882, the year scientist Charles Darwin died

Thomas was kept company by fellow tortoises Gorky and Carstaias, who are both 50-years old.

June said: 'Gorky got bitten on the nose too but Thomas suffered the brunt of the attack.

'For over 30 years the tortoises have roamed free in the garden and nothing has happened.

'It's such a shame for him to go this way. Thomas has been through so much.'

June inherited Thomas, born when William Gladstone was Prime Minister, in 1978 from her cousin Grace Hilditch.

Grace had been given Thomas in 1922 as a present from her father Harry, who was friends with a reptile keeper at London Zoo.

Thomas was born in the same year as author Virginia Woolf and the year that Charles Darwin died. He survived both World Wars and the Falkland War.



He survived five monarchs; Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, King George V, King Edward VIII and George VI.

Thomas was also alive during some the 20th century's most iconic moments, such as the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the First and Second World Wars, England's World Cup win in 1966, the Apollo moon landing in 1969 and the London 2012 Olympics.

He may have remembered this: Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee photographic portrait taken in 1897

'It was s-hell': Thomas on the Titanic disaster. The doomed ship is pictured here departing from Southampton in 1912 on its historic maiden voyage