Henry Allingham life and times

Henry Allingham as a baby in 1896 Photograph: Rex

Henry Allingham circa 1899 Photograph: PA

Circa 1915 Photograph: PA

Henry Allingham in 1916 Photograph: Collect

The type of plane on which Henry Allingham used to work: the Short Type 184, which was a British two-seat reconnaissance, bombing and torpedo-carrying folder seaplane Photograph: PA

The medals of Henry Allingham Photograph: Adam Davy/Empics

Henry Allingham (left) meeting Germany's longest surviving first world war veteran, Robert Meier, then 109, in Witten, near Dortmund in 2006 Photograph: Cpl Loz Platfoot/PA

Henry Allingham with members of his family celebrating his 111th birthday at a special event at HMS Victory in Portsmouth Photograph: Chris Ison/PA

Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, meet Henry Allingham on the 90th anniversary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme, at the French-British National Memorial at Thiepval, northern France, in 2006 Photograph: Pascal Rossignol/Reuters

Henry Allingham listens to a speech at his medal ceremony on 16 March 2009 in London Photograph: Katie Collins/Getty

Henry Allingham leads the wreath-laying service on Armistice Day, marking the 90th anniversary of the end of the first world war, at the Cenotaph, Whitehall Photograph: David Levene

British first world war veterans (l-r) Bill Stone, 108, Henry Allingham, 112, and Harry Patch, 110, at 10 Downing Street in November 2008 Photograph: Lefteris Pitarakis/EPA

Gordon Brown and Henry Allingham in 2006 Photograph: Rex

Henry Allingham with his great-great-granddaughter Lauren, two, and her mother, Amy Gray-Carlson Photograph: Rex Features

Henry Allingham, celebrates his 113th birthday with his great-great-grandson Erik Carlson, three, at a party hosted by the Royal Navy at HMS President in London Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

British first world war veterans (l-r) Henry Allingham, Harry Patch and Bill Stone before the start of Armistice Day commemorations in Whitehall in 2008 Photograph: Peter MacDiarmid/Getty

The Queen meets Henry Allingham on 10 July 2007 Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Henry Allingham, 113, on 11 November 2008 Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/PA