Seems the good always die young.
Young? He was almost 60.
That is relatively young given the life expectancy in the Uk though, no?
The average life expectancy at birth in the 1940s was about 65. Not that big a difference. (The current life expectancy at birth is about 75 I believe.)
Life expectancy at birth is the average number of years a newborn infant would be expected to live if health and living conditions at the time of its birth remained the same throughout its life. Since conditions have certainly improved in the UK since the 1940s, that certainly shouldn't apply. Also, the life expectancy of people who have survived into adulthood is much higher due to infant and child mortality.