WWI veteran becomes world's oldest man

LONDON, June 19 (UPI) -- A British veteran of World War I is the world's oldest man at the age of 113 after the death of the past record holder in Japan, Guinness World Records says.

The death of Tomoji Tanabe at the age of 113 means British national Henry Allingham now holds the oldest man title with a birth date of June 6, 1896, the Times of London reported Friday.

Allingham is one of the two surviving World War I veterans in the United Kingdom, The Times said.

After serving as a bomber and a spotter during the war, Allingham called for more peaceful resolutions to global conflicts.

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

The Times said after a life that included working as motor industry worker and raising a family, Allingham lives in a care home near Brighton.