Donald Rose
Supercentenarian data for the United Kingdom
- Full name: Donald Kitchener Rose
- Lifespan: (24.12.1914 – 11.07.2025)
- Age: 110 years, 199 days
- Birthplace: Westcott, Surrey, England, UK
- Last residence: Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England, UK
- Application date: 24.12.2024
- Validation date: 25.12.2024
- Validation source: Oliver Trim
Biography
Donald Rose was born in Westcott, Surrey, England, UK on 24 December 1914. He signed up to the British Army in 1939 and served in the Queen’s Royal Regiment in Guilford, with the 7th Armoured Brigade and fought on the front-line during the Second World War. He joined the Eighth Army as a “Desert Rat” under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery in Africa and as part of the liberation of Italy and France. During World War II, he served as a sniper and Desert Rat in North Africa, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He also did his duty with the Queen’s Royal Regiment and earned a number of medals during his service. Among these was the Legion D’Honneur – France’s highest honour. Established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, the Légion d’honneur is one of the most famous decorations in the world.
He worked even into his early 70s and had various jobs as a labourer, working for the gas board, as a lorry driver and also a bin man.
In 2000, he moved to Derbyshire after his wife, Jeannette, passed away. In 2020, at the age of 106, he moved to the care home in Ilkeston, Derbyshire.
On 25 November 2024, following the death of 112-year-old John Tinniswood, he became the oldest known living man in the United Kingdom.
On 24 December 2024, he celebrated his 110th birthday, becoming a supercentenarian.
Donald Rose passed away in Ilkeston, Derbyshire on July 11 2025, aged 110 years, 199 days.
Donald Rose at the age of 109.
Longevity recognition
- Oldest living man in the United Kingdom (25.11.2024 – 11.07.2025)
Validation
His age was meticulously documented and verified by Oliver Trim (GRG Correspondent for the United Kingdom), and validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) on 25 December 2024.