Kitchener's Last Volunteer: The Life of Henry Allingham, the Oldest Surviving Veteran of the Great War

by Henry Allingham, Dennis Goodwin, Charles III (Introduction)

Henry Allingham is the last British serviceman alive to have volunteered for active duty in World War I and one of very few people who can directly recall the horror of that conflict. In Kitchener’s Last Volunteer , he vividly recaptures how life was lived in the Edwardian era and how it was altered irrevocably by the slaughter of millions of young men in the Great War, and by the subsequent coming of the modern age. Henry is unique in that he saw action on land, sea, and in the air with the British Naval Air Service. He was present at the Battle of Jutland in 1916 with the British Grand Fleet and went on to serve on the Western Front. He befriended several of the young pilots who would lose their lives, and he himself suffered the privations of the front line under fire. In recent years, Henry was given the opportunity to tell his remarkable story to a wider audience through a BBC documentary, and he has since become a hero to many, meeting royalty and bestowed many honours such as the Légion d’honneur—France’s highest accolade. This is the touching story of an ordinary man’s extraordinary life—one who has outlived six monarchs and 21 prime ministers, and who represents a last link to a vital point in Britain's history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, World War I, Autobiography

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2008

About the author

Henry William Allingham was a British supercentenarian, the oldest British man ever, First World War veteran and, for one month, the verified oldest living man in the world. He is also the second-oldest military veteran ever, and at the time of his death, he was the 12th-verified oldest man of all time.

Allingham was the oldest ever surviving member of any of the British Armed Forces and one of the oldest surviving veterans of the First World War. He was the last survivor of the Battle of Jutland, the last surviving member of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and the last surviving founding member of the Royal Air Force (RAF).

In 2001, Allingham became the face of the First World War veterans' association and made frequent public appearances to ensure that awareness of the sacrifices of the First World War was not lost to modern generations. He received many honours and awards for his First World War service and his longevity.

Reviews

[KOMET]

A very poignant story of a man - Henry Allingham (1896-2009) - who had been the oldest British veteran of the First World War, seeing action with the Royal Naval Air Service and its successor, the Royal Air Force.

[Jennifer]

A must read for anyone - regardless of whether or not you have an interest in World War one. Henry's life spanned such a vast amount of time, unimaginable to most and was briefly the oldest living person in the world.

It felt like a privilege to read about his life as he saw it, and the historical sections written by Dennis helped firm up the relevant information.

It's not really giving the game away to say that alas Henry is dead and departed this world in July 2009. Honestly I bawled my eyes out reading the last bits as his life came to an end and his passing away marked. We owe it to Henry not to forget him and the others who fought for our freedom.

[Shreedevi Gurumurty]

This is the touching story of an ordinary man's extraordinary life - one who has outlived six monarchs and twenty-one prime ministers, and who represents a last link to a vital point in England's and really world history.Henry Allingham is the last British serviceman alive to have volunteered for active duty in WWI and is one of very few people who can directly recall the horror of that conflict.He vividly recaptures how life was lived in the Edwardian era and how it was altered irrevocably by the slaughter of millions of men in the Great War, and by the subsequent coming of the modern age.Henry is unique in that he saw action on land, sea and in the air with the RNAS.He was present at the Battle of Jutland in 1916 with the British Grand Fleet and went on to serve on the Western Front.He befriended several of the young pilots who would lose their lives,and he himself suffered the privations of the front line under fire.In recent years,Henry was given the opportunity to tell his remarkable story to a wider audience through a BBC documentary,and he has since become a hero to many,meeting royalty and having many honours bestowed upon him.Henry William Allingham(6 June 1896–18 July 2009) was an English supercentenarian. He is the longest-lived man ever recorded from England.In 2001, he became the face of the First World War veterans' association, and made frequent public appearances to ensure that awareness of the sacrifices of WWI was not lost to modern generations.He received many honours and awards for his war service and his longevity.He was an engineer who worked with major automobile companies,and overall a wonderful man.
Dennis Goodwin (1926-2018),was the founder of the World War One Veterans' Association. The association,set up in 1989,provided a forum where former soldiers could discuss their experiences and remember comrades who died during the war.He was appointed MBE in 2008 for his services to veterans.He helped WWI veterans obtain pensions and compensations,and arranged visits to former battlefields and memorial sites, as well as to events.Goodwin served in the RAF during WWII.

[Matt]

Very interesting book, covers the life of 1 of Britains last WW1 survivor. It is well written following his life from birth, to volunteering to serve in the RNAS, to the formation of the RAF. It then goes on to chart his life and his thoughts throughout the years to 2007.

[Tristan Allen]

3 at best. Clearly, Henry Allingham is an amazing man, but the book is poorly written in parts. The periods of interest - WW1 and WW2 - are really rushed through I suspect make up less than 20% of the actual book.

[Graham]

Interesting, short read that explores the life of Henry Allingham, a man who was born at the end of the 19th century and lived right through until a couple of years ago.

The title is something of a misnomer: Allingham's experiences of actual combat are limited and play only a small part of the overall story. However, the war obviously had a huge effect on his life and was to become ever more important in his final years when he became celebrated for his participation. The book chronicles the 20th century through the eyes of an ordinary man and the exploration of Edwardian life is particularly interesting.

Over half of the book is made up of background information supplied by Allingham's friend and chronicler, Dennis Goodwin, which aims to put Allingham's accounts into context. It works fairly well, and the photo sections are excellent.

[Kate]

This is a wonderful short biography of Henry Allingham, the oldest Englishman to have ever lived and one of the last remaining veterans of the first world war.

I learned of Mr. Allingham from his obituary in the New York Times; somewhere else, upon his death, his autobiography, written with Dennis Goodwin, was mentioned. Allingham's obit is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/wor...

This is an excellent introduction to the first world war and an interesting history of the twentieth century from the perspective of one man. I was moved by Allingham's story, and by the work of Dennis Goodwin and his wife Brenda to honor their nation's veterans. I hope that we all can follow their example.

[Reid]

An easy and enjoyable read, though I would have liked more of Henry's story in WWI, and a little less narrative about his later life. I could also have done with less of his writing partner's intrusions. The first half of the book is definitely better. Also, the years between 1920 and 1970 were handled in just a few pages. And what happened to his older daughter??

[Lisa]

This book was ok, I was a little disappointed with it as I felt it was more like a history book than his war diary. I didn`t need to know about the royal family and the industrial revolution. Also the book kept jumping around a bit, going backwards and forwards all the time. I did find it interesting reading about his war experiences in Norfolk as I live here.

[Sharon Jeffery]

An interesting and fascinating book to read. In later life Henry meets Dennis Goodwin and their friendship begins. Dennis accompanies Henry back to France to take part in commemorations/anniversaries in connection with WW1. Henry also gives talks to schoolchildren, meets Royalty and all sorts of people. Henry recalls his life, with Dennis adding historical facts for perspective.

[Irene]

This was a fascinating read : what a lovely man! I enjoyed his style -it felt like you were sitting next to him, listening to his stories.

[Mark]

I was stuck in a Birmingham railway station waiting for nearly 2 hours for my train home having missed my connection by 10 minutes so I bought this book at the station book-stand. It caught my eye for 2 reasons. My cousin Norman had died aged 104 not many years earlier (thereby missing out on the 'Oldest Surviving Veteran' epithet) and Henry Allingham had been born and raised not far from where my father was born and raised.

The fact that there is more about his early life in East London than there is about the war is a bonus in my opinion, though it may disappoint anyone who wants an out-and-out war story. This is a sweet story of a by-gone age and therefore should appeal to a variety of readers.