London's oldest man who cut the hair of Charlton Heston turns 108
Article By: Jill Rennie
The oldest man in London and third oldest in the UK, who cut the hair of Charlton Heston and dyed the hair of the Crown Prince of Arabia, has just celebrated his 108th birthday.
Credit: Nightingale Hammerson
Born in Bermondsey, South East London in 1911 and the youngest of four children, Benjamin Isaac John Israel was advised to change his name to Benjamin Raymond during the war in case the German army invaded England.
'I can remember King Edward walking past the salon many times'
Through his family connections, he trained as a hairdresser and opened a salon in Marble Arch and cut the hair of many famous people. Mr Raymond said: “One day a young actor came in to have his hair cut, as he was about to promote his new film Ben Hur, it was Charlton Heston. His hair cut was 2s but the tip was £10.
“Another day, I was called to the Marylebone Clinic to see what I could do after the Crown Prince of Arabia had turned white, I dyed his hair black at his bedside surrounded by his concubines.
“I can remember King Edward walking past the salon many times whilst he was out on his walks.”
Mr Raymond enjoyed dancing and met his wife Millie at a dance academy in Piccadilly and they married in 1937. In 1940, he served in the army in the medical corp as a nurse and was given the job to scrub floors at Magdalen College, Oxford. Once discharged, Mr Raymond took on the job as a packer in a gown shop before starting at the American Red Cross salon pressing soldiers trousers before being trained as a hairdresser.
Mr Raymond and his wife Millie moved to Nightingale House just after their son Victor died in 2012, but shortly after their move, his wife passed away on her birthday.
He regularly attends the synagogue in the home and has always believed in positivity in life. He said: “I think it’s important to have a positive outlook on life. I still smoke a pipe and have the occasional drop of whiskey.”