England’s oldest man Bob Weighton reveals the secret to a long life: ‘avoid dying’

England's oldest man, who is celebrating his 111th birthday today, has revealed his secret to longevity and asked the Queen to stop sending him birthday cards.

Bob Weighton, a former teacher and engineer, explained in an interview: “I do not see why the state should pay for the Queen to send out all these things, it's not a personal thing.

"I thought that's enough, but I might consider another one next year if I live that long."

Mr Weighton will spend the day with friends at his retirement flat in Alton, Hampshire, but said he doesn’t like all the attention surrounding his birthday.

Bob Weighton holding a card from the Queen at his home last year
PA Wire/PA Images

"I quite like meeting people I have never seen before, that's one of my delights. I like meeting people who have been places and have some understanding of what it means to be human.

"Promoting human interaction is the motive of my life."

Born in Hull on March 29 1908, the centenarian joked that the secret to a long life was “avoiding dying”.

“I have had the usual scares, flu, influenza, malaria, two or three operations; I ought to be dead but I am a survivor, if you like."

Bob, from Alton, turns 111 years old on Friday
PA

The father of three who has 10 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren, said the world had changed "enormously" in his lifetime but human nature hadn’t.

"Visually and in physical terms, it's changed enormously, in what human beings are – not at all,” he said.

"The basic concerns of human beings of meeting and interacting with other human beings is exactly the same – 'can this person be trusted?'"

Mr Weighton said he refused to get a mobile phone because he could easily call someone and ask them to look things up for him.

Bob Weighton, from Alton, with his personal number plate for his mobility scooter
PA

However, he said he would be holding a Skype conversation on his birthday with a school in Taiwan where he taught in the 1930s.

As well as the speed of communication, the 111-year-old said travel had undergone the greatest sea change over the years:

“In 1933 I travelled to the Far East on a P&O boat to Hong Kong and it took six weeks, now you can fly there in about eight or nine hours."

Describing himself as an "international person", Mr Weighton called Brexit a "mess and a muddle".

Bob, pictured as a young man, is the oldest man in England
PA

"My own feeling is that if there were defects, and there were quite obviously defects, we can negotiate on the inside rather than walking off the field with the cricket ball and saying 'I'm not playing'."

Continuing to live as independently as possible, Mr Weighton said that he continues to cook and shop for himself.

He added that he regularly goes to the local supermarket using his walking aid, for which he has had a new number plate create to mark his birthday: Bob 111.

"It causes a lot of amusement and it's a talking point. A lot of people looking glum when they see that, they begin to smile," he said.

Mr Weighton shares his birthday and age with the UK's other oldest man Alfred Smith.

Mr Smith, who is from the Perthshire village of St Madoes, was born in Invergowrie, Scotland in 1908.

The fifth of six sons, he was educated at Invergowrie Primary School and Harris Academy, Dundee.

In 1927, he emigrated to Canada along with four of his brothers, but returned to the UK after five years and went on to drive lorries for his brother George.

During the Second World War, he was in the Home Guard. At the age of 29, he married his sweetheart Isobel.

After the war, the couple moved to Kinfaus where they managed a farm and raised two children, Irene and Allan.

Mrs Smith died more than 15 years ago, aged 97, and son Allan died in 2016.

Asked for his secret to a long and happy life in a previous interview, Mr Smith said: "Porridge is helpful and having a job you enjoy.

"I like to think I've lived a decent life. I do ask myself - why me? Why have I lived so long when others haven't?"

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in