Thursday, February 9, 2012

Death of the Last World War I Veteran: Florence Green-- Part 2: The Great Flour Attack

The death of Mrs. Green brings her generation to an end. There are no more remaining men or women who served during the War to End All Wars as they called it.

Fortunately, she was identified as a World War I veteran before her death, but not by much. In 2009, a researcher was reading a Norfolk newspaper at the time Mrs. Green was turning 108. The article mentioned that she had served in the Great War. Research was done and her service records were found in the British Archives. She received official identification as a Great War veteran in Jan. 2010.

She was based at Narborough Airfield where she saw what was probably the most benign attack of any sort during the war. When news of the Armistice came November 11, 1918, RAF flyers from nearby Marhan Airfield flew over Narborough and "bombed" it with sacks of flour. The Narborough boys returned the favor, only they used bags of soot.

She also served seven months at RAF Marham.

After the war, she married Walter Green, a railroad worker. He died in 1970.


WOMEN'S ROYAL AIR FORCE (WRAF)

The original aim of the WRAF was to provide female mechanics to allow men to serve on the front lines. Soon, women were filling other jobs such as drivers and, in Mrs. Green's case, waitresses in the officers mess which used to be done by men.

Another Great Generation Leaves Us.

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