| John Francklow | |
 | |
| Birth: | 30 May 1835 Bethnal Green, England, UK |
| Death: | 15 October 1944 Wolverton, England, UK |
| Age: | 109 years, 138 days |
| Country: |  UK
|
| Centenarian | |
John Christian Francklow (30 May 1835 – 15 October 1944) was a British centenarian and the oldest known living person in the United Kingdom at the time of his death.
Biography[]
Francklow was born in Bethnal Green, England, United Kingdom, on 30 May 1835. He moved to Wolverton (now a constituent town of Milton Keynes) after marrying and worked on the railways until retiring in his 70s. He started claiming a pension upon its introduction in 1909, and would claim it until his death nearly 36 years later. He was congratulated by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) on his 108th birthday, at which point he still lived in his own home of 70 years. He was cared for by his unmarried 68-year-old daughter.
Francklow became the oldest known man (and person) in the United Kingdom on 17 February 1943, following the death of 108-year-old Thomas Pope. He surpassed Pope's age on 26 June 1943, and held the title until his own death on 15 October 1944, aged 109 years, 138 days. At the time of his death, he was the oldest ever person to die in Great Britain (surpassing Rachel MacArthur's age on 14 June 1944), and the third-oldest person from the United Kingdom or Ireland (behind Katherine Plunket and Margaret Ann Neve). His successor as the oldest person in the United Kingdom was Rebecca Lees (1837–1946).
References[]
- Oldest in Britain
- 108th birthday article, the Kyogle Examiner, Australia
- Obituary, The Telegraph, Brisbane, Australia
- Article about Francklow and his family, 2006