Great World War I veteran Henry Allingham, who was one of only two surviving First World War veterans in the UK and the last surviving founder member of the RAF has passed away at the age of 113 on 18th July2009. Allingham served as an aircraft mechanic in the first world war. Mechanics rode in the aircraft in those days, and doubled as bombardiers. His job was to carry a bomb in his lap and drop it out the open cockpit. Allingham didn't share many details of his military experiences until about six years ago, when a London-based veterans organization encouraged the elderly man. He was born in England in 1896. Allingham’s father died of tuberculosis when he was 14 months old, and his mother, a launderer for the White Star Line, arranged for him to have lunch aboard the Titanic shortly before its infamous last voyage. Allingham survived the Battle of Jutland and trench warfare, created advancements in WWII, was an engineer with the Ford Motor Co., was married more than 50 years and lived 113 years. His age, experiences, and sharp mental state allowed Allingham to gain a fair amount of popularity, and he met Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Gloucester, and Prime Minister Gordon Brown.