BOB Weighton, the world’s oldest man and certainly one of Alton’s most famous, has died at the age of 112.

Bob, who lived independently right up until his death in a flat at Brendancare Alton, became the oldest man in February following the death of Chitetsu Watanabe of Japan, who was also 112.

In a statement, his family paid tribute to an "extraordinary man" who "died peacefully in his sleep, from cancer" on Thursday morning.

It read: "Bob was an extraordinary man, and to the family not really because of the amazing age he reached.

"A role model to us all, he lived his life interested in and engaged with all kinds of people from across the world.

"He viewed everyone as his brother or sister and believed in loving and accepting and caring for one another.

"He had many, many friendships and read and talked politics, theology, ecology and more right up until his death.

"He also cared greatly for the environment.

"The second bedroom in his flat was a workshop, filled with furniture, windmills and puzzles he made and sold in aid of charity, often from bits of wood pulled from skips.

"We are so grateful that until the very end Bob remained our witty, kind, knowledgeable, conversationalist father, grandfather and great grandfather, and we will miss him greatly."

Bob celebrated his most recent birthday on March 29 without his usual fanfare because of the coronavirus pandemic – although a "big birthday celebration" had been promised for a few months’ time by his carers.

Bob had lived in Alton since 1969 and lead a busy lifestyle right up until the end of his life.

He enjoyed regular strolls around the shops, becoming a firm fixture of the Alton townscape with his walking frame emblazoned with ’Bob 111’, and continued making children’s toys, windmills and furniture from wood that he has been given.

He was a keen environmentalist and wrote a monthly article for local magazines, and enjoyed giving presentations on his long life, work and environmental issues to local community groups, church groups and school children.

Bob was born on March 29, 1908 in Hull, Yorkshire, where he lived and studied for a degree in mechanical engineering. After his studies, he worked in marine engineering in Northumberland.

In 1933 he decided to volunteer to teach English in Taiwan. He spent six weeks on board a ship reaching Hong Kong and a further week getting to Taiwan.

He initially spent two years learning Japanese, and then taught English in a school for four years, during which time he married his fiancée, Agnes, who came out from England in 1937.

When warnings of Second World War were made in 1939, he decided to leave for England.

However, on the way across the Pacific to Canada war broke out, and being unable to get back to England, he was diverted to Toronto, Canada.

He then moved to Connecticut, in the USA until the end of the war.

During this time in the USA, he worked with the British Government, first inspecting aircraft engines for delivery to the RAF, and then translating enemy broadcasts and preparing programmes in Japanese to be broadcast to Japan under the title of the ‘Voice of Britain’.

He returned to England in 1946 with his wife and three children. He became a lecturer in mechanical engineering at the City University of London, where he continued working until his retirement in 1973.

During Bob’s life, he has seen 22 prime ministers, five monarchs and two world wars.

He is survived by his children David and Dorothy, 10 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.

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