Britain's Last Surviving World War I Veteran

July 27th Australian.

Anne Pow interrupted her 80th birthday party celebration to call her father, Claude Choules that he was now the last British survivor of World War I. But Choules, 108, did not seem too impressed. "Everything comes to those who wait and wait," he replied with a smile.

He sreved in the Royal Navy and now lives in Perth, Australia. Harry Patch, the last trench veteran died July 25th and his friend, veteran Henry Alligham, died the week before at age 113.

Choules served aboard the HMS Revenge and witnessed the surrender of the German Imperial Navy in 1918 and its scuttling at Scapa Flow.

He told his children that war has some moments of extreme danger, but is boring most of the time. He worked 41 years as an explosives expert and served in both World Wars. In 1926, he seconded to the Australian Navy and served in it until 1956. (Not sure what seconded means.)

He was married to Ethel from Scotland for 80 years. She lived to be 98.

He is now at the Perth Graceland Hostel and lived on his own until just a few years ago. He also was a noted dancer.

Mrs. Pow said her father was quite a fiery person in his youthful days, but has calmed down in his later life, which she says enabled him to live as long.

He was born in Pershore, England in March 1901. At age 15, in 1916, he joined the Royal Navy and served aboard the HMS Impregnible.

The only two other remaining World War I veterans are Frank Buckles, 108, from the US, and John Babcock, 109, of Canada, but living in the US. Neither saw combat in the war.

The Noblest Generation. Both of My Grandfathers Were in World War I as Well. --Cooter

"War Isn't Worth One Life."-- Part 2

he route the procession for Harry Patch took covered a mile from the nursing home where he died to the cathedral. After the service, he was buried where he was born, in the mining village of Combe Down, twenty miles northeast of Wells.

When war was declared in 1914, Mr. Patch felt no desire to enlist, but he was drafted two years later and sent to France with the 7th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. He was part of the British offensive which began July 31, 1917 at the Third Battle of Ypres. During the month of August, it rained all but three days in what Patch described as "mud, mud, and more mud mixed together with blood."

He was wounded September 22nd in a shell blast that killed three members of his gun team. The offensive went on until November 6th when the British command claimed victory after having advanced five miles and captured what was left of the Village of Passchendaele. Nearly 600,00 were killed and wounded on both sides.

In 2007, Mr. Patch wrote a book of his experiences with historian Richard van Emden, called "The Last Fighting Tommy." "Tommy" is the name British soldiers are often called. On November 11, 2008, Mr. Patch joined two other British veterans of the war, Henry Allingham and Bill Stone at the National Remembrance Observance of the 90th anniversary of the end of the war. Since then, all three have died: Allingham at age 113 the week before Patch, and Stone at age 108 on January 10th.

Getting Near the Last of the Noblest Generation.

The Funeral of Henry Allingham

The BBC reports that it was held Thursday. Henry Allingham was one of the last surviving World War I veterans (there are now three). There was a flyover by five World War I replica aircraft since Mr. Allingham was a member of the Royal Naval Air Service and afterwards, one of the first members of the RAF (Royal Air Force).

His coffin was carried by three Royal Navy and three Royal Air Force personnel. Two great grandchildren carried his medals.

He was quite a character, even in his older years. At age 93, he visited the US. An attendant went to get him with a wheel chair, and then they appeared with Henry pushing the attendant and a big smile on his face.

Church bells tolled 113 times, once for each year of his life.

Harry Patch, who died this past Saturday, will be buried this coming Thursday.


A BRIEF HENRY ALLINGHAM TIMELINE

1896-- born Clapton, east London
1916-- Witnesses the Battle f Jutland
1918-- transferred to RAF, celebrates Armistice Day in Cologne, Germany
WW II-- worked on aircraft weapons
1960-- retired at age 65
2003-- first met Queen Elizabeth II
2009-- died in sleep at age 113

The "Noblest Generation." --

"The Last Tommy," Harry Patch

From the July 26th MailonLine.

Harry Patch was conscripted at age 18 into the Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry and served as an assistant gunman on a Lewis machine gun team.

He was badly injured by a shell during the fighting at Passachendaele between June and September 1917, an action that cost Britain 70,000 men, including many of Mr. Patch's friends.

He was staunchly anti-war, calling it "organised murder" and not "worth the loss of a few lives, let alone thousands."

Once, while "going over the top," meaning charging out of the trenches into "no-man's land," they came across a young soldier who "was ripped open from his shoulder to his waist by shrapnel and was lying in a pool of blood.

"When we got to him, he looked at us and said, 'Shoot me.' He was beyond human help and before we could draw a revolver, he was dead. His last word was 'Mother.'"

The Noblest Generation. --Cooter

Then There Were Three: Time to Properly Honor The World War Veterans

Now that only three World War I veterans remain alive, it would seem that Britain and the United States should find the money to properly honor the sacrifices of this generation, and not just those on the firing lines, but everyone. This war greatly impacted those on the home fronts as well.

The United States finally got around to honoring the World War II generation with the new memorial in Washington, DC, but there is nothing on the mall for World War I other than a small one to honor DC's World War I veterans.

Britain has the Centopath, but I don't know much about it, other than it hosted the there remaining World War I veterans back on November 11th, 90th anniversary of the end of the war.

It would be nice for money to be found and plans made while the last three are still alive, even though they probably won't be around to see its completion.

Do the Right Thing. --Cooter.

Harry Patch, 111, The Last Tommy-- Part 2

He died at the Fletcher House care home in Wells, southwest England.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the country will mourn "the passing of a great man. The noblest of all the generations has left us, but they will never be forgotten. We say today with still greater force, we will remember them."

Queen Elizabeth II said, "We will never forget their bravery and enormous sacrifice of his generation."

Price Charles said, "Nothing could give me greater pride" than paying tribute to Mr. Patch. "The Great War is a chapter in our history we must never forget; so may sacrifices were made, so many young lives lost."

From July 26th Chicago Tribune.

Harry Patch, the Last Tommy-- Part 1

As I found out when I looked up Diggers for the death of the last Australian World War I veteran, Tommy is a slang word for British soldier.

This obituary was in the Sunday, July 26th, Chicago Tribune, by Robert Barr, Associated Press. "Last vet of WWI's trenches: Briton wounded in 1917 said that 'it wasn't worth it'

"Harry Patch, Britain's last survivor of the trenches of World War I, was a reluctant soldier who became a powerful eyewitness to the horror of war and a symbol of a lost generation.

Mr Patch, who died Saturday at 111, was wounded at the Battle of Passchendaele, which he remembered as "mud, mud and more mud mixed with blood.

Anyone who tells you that in the trenches they weren't scared, he's a damned liar. You were scared all the time," Mr. Patch was quoted as saying in a book, "The Last Fighting Tommy" written with historian Richard van Emden."

The "Noblest Generation." --Cooter

The Last Tommy: Harry Patch, 111

The July 26th London Mail Online reported the death of Harry Patch. As I said, I was going to do on update on the four remaining World War I veterans Saturday, when I could only find the names of three on the Wikipedia list of World War I veterans still alive. Mr. Patch not among them. He had died that very same day.

This was the first obituary I could find.

He was a former plumber, a front-line machine-gunner at age 18. Passed away peacefully in his sleep at the nursing home in Wells, in his native Somerset, surrounded by family and friends.

He had been Britain's oldest man for 7 days, after another World War I veteran and good friend Henry Allingham (who was also the world's oldest man for a month) died at age 113.

The only surviving British military World War I veteran now is Claude Choules, 108, who served in the Royal Navy and now lives in Perth, Australia.

The Noblest Generation.

Mighty Sad Thing: Death of Harry Patch-- One of Last Surviving World War I Veterans

I was going to write about the four remaining World War I veterans since Henry Allingham just died and looked it up on Wikipedia, but I could find only three verified ones. I had a bad feeling that since the name Harry Patch wasn't on the list, that he might have died.

I looked up his name on Wikipedia, and, unfortunately, he had died today.

Now, there are just three left.

Sad to Find This Out. Another of a "Greatest Generation."

I find a good article and pictures in tomorrow's Mail Online.

Canada's Last WW I Veteran Celebrates 109th

KXLY, Montana, reported July 23rd that John "Jack" Babcock, believed to be Canada's sole remaining veteran of World War celebrated his 109th birthday.

He enlisted in the Canadian service at age 16 after lying about his age. After the war, he joined the US military in 1921 and moved to Spokane, Washington, in 1932.

He became an American citizen in 1946. Not one to let age stand in the way, he got his pilot's license at age 65 and graduated high school at age 95.

One of the Few Remaining World War I Veterans. --Cooter

Henry Allingham, 113-- Oldest Man and World War Veteran-- Part 3

Mr. Allingham fought at the Battle of Jutland, the largest naval action of the war. He also spent time observing from the planes along the Western Front. He was wounded during an attack on an aircraft depot.

After the war, he worked at the Ford Motor Company and raised two children. He was even persuaded to write his autobiography. He gave his reason for longevity as "cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women."

Quite a Character. --Cooter

Henry Allingham, 113-- Oldest Man and World War I Veteran-- Part 2

Henry Patch, 111, is one of the last two surviving British World War I veterans. Claude Choules, 108, is the other. Mr. Choules served in the Royal Navy and now lives in Australia since the 1920s.

The July 18th Marine Corps Times reported that Henry Allingham was born June 6, 18996 during the reign of Queen Victoria and remembers sitting on his grandfather's shoulders for King Edward the VII's coronation in 1902, back when most transportation was by horses or train.

He left school at age 15 and worked in an east London car factory.

When World War I started, he spent the first several months refitting trucks for military duty.

His mother died in June 1915 and soon after that, he saw a plane flying and was captivated by it. He decided to get involved with them and joined the Royal Naval Air Service where he worked as a mechanic trying to keep the rickety contraptions flying. He also flew as an observer.

More to Come. --Cooter

Henry Allingham, 113, Oldest Man and World War I Veteran-- Part 1

The July 18th BBC News gave this report on the death of Henry Allingham.

He was the world's oldest man and a surviving veteran of World War I. During the war, he joined the Royal Naval Air Service and later transferred to the Royal Air Force (RAF) when it was created.

His funeral will be held later this month.

His life spanned three centuries, six monarchs. He leaves behind 5 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, 14 great great grandchildren, and 1 great great great grandchild.

He was married to Dorothy for half a century. She died in 1970.

He joined the Royal Naval Air Service in September, 1915, and served in Ypres before transferring to the RAF in 1918. He usually avoided reunions and kept quiet about his war service until 2005 when he was persuaded to unveil an RAF Memorial in France. After that, he got involved with the remaining veterans of the war.

Another of the Greats Passes Away.

World War I Veteran-World's Oldest Man Dies

I am sorry to report that Henry Allingham, 113, of England died this last weekend. He was one of the last five surviving veterans of World War I, and for a little over a month, the oldest man in the world.

We Need a World War I National Memorial in DC

Pamela Wills makes a very good point saying that we need a National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC, preferably somewhere on the mall. At present, there is a World War I memorial there, but it is for the DC veterans of the war. We need one for ALL of these heroes.

The one that exists is for the 499 residents of the District of Columbia and is largely obscured and in need of renovation. It was dedicated November 11, 1931 by President Herbert Hoover and is an open air Doric column edifice 40 feet in diameter.

Representative Ted Poe, (D-Texas) has introduced the Frank Buckles World War I Memorial Act to renovate the DC memorial and to rededicate it 2018 as a national shrine, the 100th anniversary of the end of the war.

My own belief is that another site be found for a much larger memorial and this bill should be pushed through while Mr. Buckles, our last-surviving World War I veteran is still alive, which, unfortunately, won't be much longer.

After all, Korea, Vietnam and World War II already have their memorials.

Let's Do the Right Thing.

Surviving War Veterans-- By War

World War I-- 7
World War II-- 3.526 million
Korean War-- 3.257 million
Vietnam-- 8.055 million
Desert Shield-- 615,000
Iraq/Afghanistan-- 433,000

from US Veterans Affairs Department

Surviving Veterans of World War I

According to wikipedia, these are the survivors of WW I by country.

Australia- 3
Germany- 1 However, Franz Kuntzler died at the beginning of the year
Canada- 2 (one living in US)
Italy - 2
Turkey- 1
United Kingdom- 3

Plus, there are five more who joined after the Armistice was signed, but before the Treaty Of Versailles officially ending it.

Look up "Surviving veterans of WW I."

You can also find a list of Last surviving US war veterans that goes back to the American Revolution on wikipedia.

My WWI Relatives

Both my grandfathers participated in WWI. My mother's father, William Graham Hood was in the Army, but never was sent overseas. My great uncle, William Prince, served overseas in the AEF as a lieutenant. He returned to Goldsboro, NC, but lost his life a short time later when he drowned while rescuing a young boy from a flood, for which he received a Carnegie Medal.

My father's father, Norman Kirby Hatch, was in the Merchant Marine.

Some More on Frank Buckles

Mr. Buckles was born on a farm in Bethany, Mo., in 1901, lied about his age to enlist shortly after turning 16. He fought in France and Germany, and also served during WWII, where he was captured after the Japanese invaded the Philippines and was a prisoner of war for 39 months. At the time, he was working foran American shipping company and not in the military.

He does at least one interview a day.

This will be a sad day when he passes on. That brings to an end one aspect of my grandparents' generation.

Wikipedia has a nice account on Mr. Buckles.

The Last US WWI Veteran-- Frank Buckles

The Feb. 20th Chicago Tribune ran and article about the last remaining American veteran of the Great War. He survives four million others who participated in it from 1917-1918.

At age 107, he is in excellent health, but, as everyone knows, it will just be a matter of time before we have the passing of that generation. Earlier this week, we had the passing of the last French veteran and in January, the last German soldier. About five weeks ago, the second-to-the-last American soldier died. There are 12 veterans still living, mostly English. I also know of one other Canadian soldier living in the state of Washington.

I'll give more information on Frank Buckles later.

It is Pleasant Being Able to Write About This While He is Still Alive. --Da Coot