After 113 remarkable years Henry Allingham, the world's oldest man, passes into history

First World War veteran Henry Allingham, who became the world's oldest man last month, has died at the age of 113.

As tributes poured in, Lord's cricket ground fell silent at the start of play in the Ashes match between England and Australia as a mark of respect for Mr Allingham, who died in his sleep early yesterday morning.

He was one of the last three surviving British veterans of the First World War, the last surviving founder member of the RAF, the last man to have witnessed the Battle of Jutland and the last surviving member of the Royal Naval Air Service.

Legacy: Henry Allingham with his great-granddaughter Ami Gray and her daughter, two-year-old Lauren, in 2006

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: 'He was a tremendous character, one of the last representatives of a generation of tremendous characters.'

The Queen said he was 'one of the generation who sacrificed so much for us all'.

A Clarence House spokesman said: 'The Prince of Wales was sad to hear of the death of Henry Allingham. Henry belonged to that incredible generation who did so much for their country and we owe him a huge debt.'



Changing times: Henry Allingham as a baby in 1896

In the foreword to Mr Allingham's autobiography, Kitchener's Last Volunteer, Prince Charles wrote in 2008: 'He has witnessed so much of our history - including the sinking of the Titanic, the Great War, the Depression, the Second World War and the building of the Welfare State - taking in six of my forebears, as well as 21 Prime Ministers.

'We should all be humbled by this quiet, genial man and his desire to extol peace and friendship to the world, despite all the horrors he witnessed at such a young and impressionable age.'

So long ago: Henry Allingham wearing a sailor suit as a boy

Born in East London in 1896, Mr Allingham was married to his late wife Dorothy for more than 50 years.

They had five grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, 14 great-great-grandchildren and one great-great-great-grandchild.

The veteran, who was being cared for at St Dunstan's care home in Ovingdean, near Brighton, celebrated his 113th birthday on June 6 with his family on board London's HMS President.

Young love: Mr Allingham pictured with fiancee Dorothy May in 1916. The couple were married for more than 50 years

Two weeks later, Guinness World Records confirmed that he had become the world's oldest man after the previous record holder, Tomoji Tanabe, died in Japan aged 113.

Mr Allingham once jokingly attributed his longevity to 'cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women'.

But he later admitted that he had taken care of himself, adding: 'The trick is to look after yourself and always know your limitations.'

Mr Allingham lays a wreath at the Air Services Memorial, in St.Omer, France, during an Armistice Day Service in 2005

Mr Allingham's death means that Harry Patch, 111, the last survivor of the First World War trenches, is now Britain's oldest man.

Nicknamed 'the last Tommy', Mr Patch is a veteran of the 1917 battle of Passchendaele in which more than 70,000 British troops were killed.

He now lives at a residential home in Somerset. The other remaining First World War survivor, Worcestershire-born 108-year-old Claude Choules, who served with the Royal Navy, now lives in Australia.

Queen Elizabeth meets Mr Allingham at the Buckingham Palace Garden Party in 2007

Mr Allingham tried to join the Army in 1914 but his mother, who was ill, persuaded him to stay at home and nurse her. She died a year later and he then joined the Royal Naval Air Service. In May 1916, he survived the battle of Jutland which claimed 6,000 lives.

In 1917, he was posted to the Western Front and found himself in the trenches at Ypres, where his job was neutralising bombs left behind by the Germans. He later said he could never forget the smell of mud and rotting flesh.

Emotional moment: A tear is wiped away from Mr Allingham's eye at a service to mark the 90th anniversary of the Great War Armistice

He once told the BBC: 'War's stupid. Nobody wins. You might as well talk first. You have to talk last, anyway.'

In 1918 he transferred to the newly formed Royal Air Force and after the war he worked for the Ford Motor Company until his retirement.

He buried his war memories for decades - refusing even to discuss them with his family - and he would not go to reunions organised by his former comrades.

Inspiration: RAF air cadets chat to Mr Allingham (with grandson David Gray and his wife Charlotte Gray)

But in 2005, he was asked to unveil an RAF memorial in France and he decided that it would be disrespectful to refuse.

He then became a tireless campaigner, attending commemorative events including the 90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.

Even after he moved to St Dunstan's care home when he was 108, because his sight and hearing were failing, Mr Allingham insisted on visiting schools to tell youngsters about his wartime experiences.

World war heroes: Allingham (right) and 106 year old William Stone (second left) meet senior members of the defence staff at the Ministry of Defence in 2007

Robert Leader of the St Dunstan's charity, which supports visually impaired ex-Servicemen and women, said: 'He was very active right up to his final days.

'As well as possessing a great spirit of fun, he represented the last of a generation who gave a very great deal for us.'

Dennis Goodwin, from the First World War Veterans' Association, who regularly visited Mr Allingham at St Dunstan's, said he had lost 'an exceptionally good friend'.

He added: 'He has left quite a legacy to the nation of memories of what it was like to have been in the First World War.'

The funeral will take place later this month as St Nicholas's Church in Brighton.