Britain's Last WWI Veteran Lived in Australia-- Part 1: Served in Both Wars

From the Age.com.au, July 26, 2009.

Claude Choules, 108  (He has since died.)

Born Pershon, England in March 1901.  Served in the Royal Navy on the HMS Impregnible at age 15 in 1916.  In 1917 was on the battleship HMS Revenge and was at the surrender of the German fleet at the Firth of Forth near Scotland in 1918 which came ten days after the Armistice was signed.  He was also at the scuttling of the German fleet at Scapa Flow

In 1926, he went to Australia with the Royal Navy and transferred to the Royal  Australian Navy.

He served on the HMAS Canberra until 1931 when he was discharged from the service, but rejoined in 1932 as a torpedo and anti-submarine instructor in Freemantle.

In World War II, he disposed of the first German mine to wash ashore on Australia near Esperance on Western Australia's south coast.

--Cooter