John Farringdon was born in Enfield, north London, on 7 June 1913, the only son out of four children. In the 1920s, aged 16, he began his first job repairing typewriters. A few years later, in 1934, he was employed by the Ford Motor Company as a typewriter mechanic. Although he initially aspired to be a Spitfire pilot for the Royal Air Force during World War II, he ultimately decided to stay working for Ford, where he helped manufacture tank parts for the Army during the war. He would remain employed at Ford for 40 years before retiring. In 1940, he married his wife, Irene, at Essex Registry Office, after meeting her while being stationed with her family during the war. The couple would remain together until Irene’s death at the age of 38. He would later meet a woman named Vera while playing darts at a local pub, who would become his long-term partner until her death around 1990.

An avid car enthusiast, Farringdon obtained his driving license at the age of 17 for just five shillings – according to him, he never took a driving test because he received his license before it was mandated. He would continue to drive for the next 88 years, only stopping when he turned 105, and never got into an accident. At the time of his 100th birthday in 2013, he still lived on his own, did his own cooking and shopping, and was known to still drive himself across the country to visit friends and family.

In June 2023, John Farringdon celebrated his 110th birthday and became a supercentenarian. He currently resides at a care home in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.