World’s oldest man officially declared as 111-year-old Brit – and he has blunt response

Former Royal Mail worker John Tinniswood, aged 111 years and 222 days old, from Southport, Merseyside has officially been named the oldest man in the world by Guinness World Records

A British man has been officially named the oldest man in the world.

John Tinniswood, aged 111 years and 222 days old, was verified as the oldest man alive on Thursday by Guinness World Records. On finding out he was the oldest man in the world he said: “Doesn’t make any difference to me. Not at all. I accept it for what it is.”

John was born in Liverpool on 26 August 1912 and now lives in a care home in Southport, Merseyside. He met his wife, Blodwen, during the Second World War and they married in 1942. The couple were married for 44 years until Blodwen died in 1986. Their daughter, Susan, was born in 1943.

He retired in 1972 and up until then had careers in the Royal Mail during World War 2, and then as an accountant for Shell & BP. Sharing his perspective on how times have changed in his 111 years, he 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.”

John – who was born the same year the same year The Titanic sank – says the secret to his longevity is “just luck”. He said: “You either live long or you live short, and you can’t do much about it.” John doesn’t believe it’s down to any specific lifestyle choices: “I eat what they give me and so does everybody else. I don’t have a special diet.” However, John does enjoy his favourite meal, fish and chips, every Friday.

Guinness World Records met John at his care home on April 4 to present him with his certificate. When asked for his advice for younger generations, John replied: “Let them make their own way in the world. We’re all different in different ways.”

The oldest man ever was Jiroemon Kimura from Japan, who lived to the age of 116 years 54 days. He was born in 1897 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. The evidence for the oldest man living was examined by Guinness World Records senior consultant for gerontology, Robert Young, and the Gerontology Research Group.