Britain's oldest man dies

Britain's oldest man Reg Dean, who died on Saturday, was born in 1902 the year after Queen Victoria died. He had lived through four crowned monarchs and 21 Prime Ministers.

Speaking in 2011 he said there were three questions "that you must learn to try and answer.

"One is, who am I? Two is, why am I here? And three is, where am I going?"

Reg Dean's son said he had always believed an "elixir" given to him in India may have played a hand in his longevity.

Christopher Dean said faith had been a key part of his father's life, and one of the principles he had always credited with his long life.

The son of Britain's oldest man who has died said his father had only ever wanted "to make a difference" to the lives of those less fortunate.

Reg Dean was heavily involved in charity work throughout his life and completed a sponsored walk from Nottingham to Derby at the age of 90.

Later, he set up a Fairtrade store in his downstairs lounge, when he still lived at home, calling the franchise Traidcraft - it became Traid Links and continues to successfully operate in Wirksworth to this day.

Mr Dean's son Christopher, said his father had told him he had no fear at the prospect of his death.

Mr Dean had been living for some years at Waltham House, which is an extra care scheme for older people run by Housing 21.

Helen Hart, locality manager for Housing 21 said:

During the Second World War, Reg Dean was stationed in Burma in the Far East.

Last year on his 110 birthday he told the Independent that he nearly did not return: "I nearly didn't come back from Burma, I was under shell fire so often.

"The second-in-command of our regiment was a friend and he was in the same trench with me when the shells were coming over. I said, 'What are you going to do when they come here?' He said: 'I'll lay about them with this kukri' – that's a Gurkha knife. Luckily, he didn't have to."

Jiroemon Kimura, the world's oldest man was given the honour by Guinness World Records for reaching the age of 115 years 253 days.

He became the world's oldest man on 17th December 2012 after Dina Manfredini (from the US) passed away aged 115 years, 257 days.

Jiroemon Kimura, who lives in Kyotango City, Kyoto, was born on 19th April 1897 and is only the third man in history to reach 115 years old.

Britain's oldest man has died, aged 110 years and 63 days, friends have said.

Reg Dean, a former United Reform Church minister, died on Saturday, according to an announcement by the Dalesmen Male Voice Choir in Derbyshire.

He was the choir's life president, and helped to found the group in the 1980s.

Mr Dean, a former Army chaplain and teacher, survived two World Wars and witnessed 24 British prime ministers come and go.

He was born in Tunstall, Staffordshire, on November 4 1902, and became Britain's oldest man in June 2010 after the death of Stanley Lucas, 110, of Cornwall.