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Gone Home - World's Oldest Scout

Henry Allingham, the world’s oldest man and the world’s oldest Scout, passed away on 18th July 2009 at the age of 113.

Born in Clapham, England, on 6 June 1896, Henry was also the oldest surviving member of the armed forces and served in both World War I and World War II.

Henry first went along to his local Scout Troop with his cousin in 1914, taking part in a program of camping and outdoor activity for about six weeks before World War I broke out.

Henry said, “I really enjoyed it and wanted to join, but I was unable to do so because my mum could not afford the uniform.”

In November 2008, exactly one hundred years after he first tried Scouts, Henry was invested into the 6th Brighton and honoured with the Chief Scout's Personal Award.

Read more at www.scouts.org.uk.

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