Councillor Ron Bell - Blackpool  
   
 
 
          
"Mr Allingham is a centenarian and Allingham is Europe's oldest man, but more importantly, he is one of only three British survivors of the First World War "

— Councillor Ron Bell


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Henry Allingham at Veteran's Week

Since I first published this article Henry Allingham has sadly passed away on 18th July at the age of 113.

He was officially the worlds oldest man and it was a great honour and pleasure to meet him during Veterans Week (now Armed Forces Week).

 Henry Allingham with Ron Bell

Veteran’s week provided another ideal opportunity for Blackpool to play host to a number of famous and distinguished visitors who had come to join residents and other visitors in various events all of which were designed to celebrate and commemorate past and present members of the Armed Forces. Given that I myself am a veteran, having served some nine years in the Royal Marines, I was particularly pleased that one of the VIPs who had agreed to come was Mr Henry Allingham.  A gentleman who is I am sure was known to many if not all of you.
At the time of the visit Mr Allingham was a centenarian and Europe's oldest man, but more importantly, he was one of only three British survivors of the First World War.  He was born in Clapham, south London, on the 6th June 1896, when Queen Victoria had more than four years still to reign.  He first saw service as a mechanic in the Royal Naval Air Service, he served first in Britain and then in France. When the RNAS merged with the Royal Flying Corps in April 1918, Henry found himself a member of the new Royal Air Force. Now he is the last original member of the service to survive. 


Henry Allingham
From reading the above it will be realised that Mr Allingham was a remarkable gentleman and it will come as no surprise therefore when I tell you how delighted and honoured I felt when I was asked to act as Mr Allingham’s escort during some of the various events he attended during Veterans Week. Acting as Henry’s escort provided me with an ideal opportunity to talk with him and learn about some of the many events and experiences that have been part of his long and eventful life. 

I can honestly say that I came away feeling truly humbled and grateful for the short time that I had been able to spend with a courageous and remarkable individual who has given so much for his country and is the embodiment and representation of selfless sacrifice and a gentleman from whom we could all learn a great deal.
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Promoted by David Brown on behalf of Ron Bell Both of 173 Hornby Road, Blackpool, FY1 4RD.