| Ben Raymond | |
 Ben Raymond at the age of 108 | |
| Birth: | 23 July 1911 Bermondsey, London, England, UK |
| Death: | 20 April 2020 Wandsworth, London, England, UK |
| Age: | 108 years, 272 days |
| Country: |  UK
|
| Centenarian | |
Benjamin Issac John Raymond (23 July 1911 – 20 April 2020) was a British centenarian who was the second-oldest known living man in the UK and the oldest living Jewish man in the UK at the time of his death.
Biography[]
Early Life and Career[]
Ben Raymond was born in Bermondsey, London, England, UK on 23 July 1911, the youngest of four children. He married Millie in 1937. He was stationed at Oxford University as a nurse in the army during the Second World War. He was a former member of Croydon Synagogue and later of Sutton and District Synagogue.
Raymond enjoyed a successful career as the owner of a hair salon in London's West End. One of his more notable clients was actor Charlton Heston, who got his hair cut at Raymond’s salon before the filming of Ben-Hur in 1959. Heston left Raymond a tip of 10 pounds sterling, equivalent in purchasing power to around $230 today. On another occasion, Raymond was called to the Marylebone Clinic to dye the hair of the Crown Prince of Arabia, as it had turned white.
Later Life and Death[]
In 2012, Raymond moved to an assisted living facility in Wandsworth, London with his wife Millie, who died later that year. She also lived to be over 100. Their only son, Victor, also died in 2012, at the age of 70. Raymond died from COVID-19 on 20 April 2020 at the age of 108 years, 272 days. He is one of the oldest known victims of the coronavirus pandemic and is the one of the oldest known men to have died from the disease. At the time of his death, Raymond was the UK's second-oldest living man, after 112 year-old Bob Weighton.
Gallery[]
References[]
- Hairdresser to the stars enjoys a whisky at 107 The Jewish Chronicle, 25 July 2018
- London's oldest man belly dances at 108th birthday party The Jewish Chronicle, 23 July 2019
- London's oldest man who cut the hair of Charlton Heston turns 108 Carehome, 24 July 2019
- London’s oldest man celebrates 108th birthday at Jewish care home The Times of Israel, 29 July 2019
- London’s Oldest Man Celebrates His 108th Birthday in Jewish Nursing Home Haaretz, 30 July 2019
- London's oldest man dies at 108, member of Sutton United Synagogue The Jerusalem Post, 21 April 2020
- The 108-year-old Jew from London died of the Corona virus News1 English, 22 April 2020
- Ben Raymond, 108, London's Oldest Person The Algemeiner, 5 May 2020
- Deaths aged 107+ since 2009 Oldest in Britain