World's oldest man dies

Henry Allingham, the world's oldest man and the oldest surviving British veteran from World War I, has died at the age of 113, his care home said Saturday.

Allingham died in his sleep at St. Dunstan's care home in Ovingdean, England, the home said in a statement.

Born on June 6, 1896, Allingham was active until his final days, having celebrated his 113th birthday last month on the HMS President with his family, the care home said.

The Guinness Book of World Records Certified Allingham as the world's oldest man last month, St. Dunstan's said.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister Gordon Brown both paid their respects to Allingham on Saturday. "The queen was saddened to hear of the death of Henry Allingham. He was one of the unique generation who sacrificed so much for us all. Our thoughts are with his family at this time," Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

"I had the privilege of meeting Henry many times," said Brown. "He was a tremendous character, one of the last representatives of a generation of tremendous characters. My thoughts are with his family as they mourn his passing but celebrate his life." Born in the East End of London during the reign of Queen Victoria, Allingham was brought up by his mother and grandparents. His father died when he was a baby.

He joined the Royal Naval Air Service as an aircraft mechanic in 1915 after his mother died. Allingham was the last known survivor of the Battle of Jutland, considered the greatest battle of World War I. He was serving aboard the armed trawler HMT Kingfisher, which was sent to meet up with the British fleet as it fought the Germans off what is now mainland Denmark.

The battle still holds the record for the most gun-armed battleships and battlecruisers engaged in a fight, according to Britain's Ministry of Defence.

In 1917 Allingham was sent to France to support the Royal Flying Corps. His job as a mechanic was to service the aircraft and recover parts from downed planes, but pilots would often ask their mechanics to fly with them, so Allingham would sit behind the pilot and drop bombs or operate the machine gun.

Allingham served in Flanders until that November, when he moved to the aircraft depot at Dunkirk, France. He stayed there until the end of the war.

Allingham was a founding member of today's Royal Air Force, which was formed in 1918 when the Royal Naval Air Service merged with the Royal Flying Corps.

-CNN