What is the age of the last of the veteran.

[larneman]

Saw the last german war veteran on TV(dutch). He was visiting the german war graves at Langemark, Belgium. He was 107. What is the age of the last of the British, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, ANZAC, Canadian and so on veterans. Anybody know? Are there any left.??

Liam

[salientpoints]

Hi Liam, there are many threads on this subject buried in the forum, you will find names & ages using the search facility.

I do know Henry Allingham lives here in my home town Eastbourne and at 108 is the UK's oldest veteran (I am not aware of any older).

Cheers

Ryan

[Brian M]

You might check the VC forum threads as there is running count of surviving veterans.

http://www.chapter-one.com/forum_topic.asp?topics=30&tid=677

The last Boer War veteran, Trooper Ives, lived to 111 ahich made him Canada's oldest living person for a while. His son, Jack Ives, is still healthy and active here in Quesnel, BC.

Brian

[Canadawwi]

Here's a collection of links and information I've put together on Canada's surviving WWI veterans.

Toronto's Globe and Mail newspaper put together a special feature including interviews with Canada's last surviving veterans (Nov. 2002) and the reporters attempted to locate all the survivors. They placed the research on a memory project website. This site is quite interesting because they also asked readers to send in WWI family items and they voted on the most interesting items and stories. The items and stories are shown on the site.*** The site has been updated to reflect a veteran's death - the obituary is linked to the name. Canada's Surviving WWI Veterans

Another paper, the Toronto Star, listed the WWI veterans still living in an article dated Nov. 10th, 2003. The list was as follows:

Paul Métivier of Ottawa, 103.

Lazare Gionet of Caraquet, N.B., 106.

Harold Radford of Halifax, 105.

Alice Strike of Halifax, 106.

Cyril Martin of Edmonton, 103.

William (Duke) Procter of Vernon, B.C., 103.

John F. Babcock of Spokane, Wash., 102.

Clifford Holliday of Gardena, Calif., 104. (since died - May 4, 2004)

Harold Lewis of Monterey, Calif., 102.

There was another article appearing in late 2003 regarding Clare Laking, 104 and Lloyd Clement, 103.

Clarke Laking interview on his 105th birthday - article dated Feb. 21st, 2004.

As recently as 1998 - there were still 800 living WWI veterans in Canada based on an official count conducted by the goverment in March of that year - according to this Toronto Sun article.

***One of the most moving stories on this site is the story of the little teddy bear found on a Canadian soldier killed in action at Passchendaele. Teddy Bear returned to Canada from the battlefield.

[Captain Dave]

Nil in NZ, The last died in 2001. Surprisingly the media did not make much of a fanfare about it. I actually read it in a Time Magazine a few months later.

[larneman]

Note: (Veteran's Day, 2002)

Veteran of Great War dies at 102

Ireland's last first World War veteran, Mr Thomas Shaw, has died aged 102. Mr Shaw, from Belfast, joined the 16th battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles in 1916. He died on Saturday, March 2nd, 2002 and was buried on Thursday, March 7th at Clandeboye Cemetery in Bangor, Co Down. He first enlisted as a rifleman at 15 but was sent home after his brother, a military policeman, met him accidentally while in France. Mr Shaw again joined up as the Battle of the Somme ended.He was sent to France and fought at Messines, Ypres, and Passchendaele. He returned to Ireland in April 1919. Mr Sam Girvan, the manager of the Clanmill Housing Association, which runs the accommodation block where Mr Shaw lived, said he didn't like a fuss being made about his years of service. Source: The Irish Times.

[Andrew P]

I believe Peter Casserley who came from White Gum Valley in Fremantle is the eldest of the three remaining Australians at 106 years old.

The Retirement home he lives in now is strangely bordered by two roads named Kitchener & French.

He served in the 2nd Light Railway Operating Company from 1917 onwards.

[larneman]

On 4 August 2004, at a ceremony at the Cenotaph in London, four veterans laid wreaths to mark the 90th anniversary of Britain's entry into the First World War that would leave more than a million members of the Commonwealth forces dead. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and Veterans' Minister Ivor Caplin laid wreaths on behalf of the Queen.

The veterans, four of only 23 known to survive in Britain from the First World War, were Henry Allingham (108), William Stone (103), John Osbornbe (104) and Fred Lloyd (106). Speaking after the ceremony, Mr Lloyd said: "War is not a wonderful thing to be remembered, but those who died must never be forgotten."

Posted August 2004

[bluedog]

Liam

There are now only 4 remaining Australian Great War Veterans

Peter

[larneman]

Great War veteran celebrates 108 years with book and cake Sep 18 2004

The Western Mail

THE oldest man in Wales celebrates his 108th birthday today.

Alfred Finnigan, a First World War veteran who lives in Carmarthenshire, is the third oldest survivor of the Great War.

Among his birthday cards this morning will be one from the Queen and one from fellow veterans Henry Allingham and Alfred Anderson welcoming him to the select 108-year-old club.

"He's doing very well. He's fine and he knows he will be 108," said his niece Kathy Page, who cares for him at her home near Efail Wen.

"Whenever he's asked how he feels he always says 'considering my great age I'm very good.'

"I think he's quite proud of it in his own way. He's still very alert and knows what's what."

Alfred, who was born in London in 1896, joined up just two days after his 18th birthday in 1914 as the lead driver in a six-horse gun team.

Five friends with whom he signed up lost their lives but he escaped without a scratch apart from a bite from a horse.

[Christina Holstein]

If the veteran aged 107 that you saw was Charles Kuentz, he is the last veteran in Alsace who fought for the Germans. Whether or not he is actually the last German veteran of all is anybody's guess. He's a lively chap and appears at the anniversary of the First Battle of the Marne every year to make a speech that he has written himself. He's VERY pro-European, as you might imagine, given the history of Alsace. A wonderful old man. This year, everyone stood to applaud when he had finished speaking.

Christina

[larneman]

From replies posted above I assume that this is untrue?

borrowed from http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/memoir/lastanzc.htm

The Last ANZACS

From Australian newspaper reports...

Albert Edward (Ted) Matthews was born on 11 November 1896 and served on Gallipoli and later in France and Belguim with the 1st Signal Company.

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Albert Edward Matthews. Born 11 November 1896, landed on Gallipoli 25 April 1915, served there until 19 December 1915; Died 9 December 1997.

(Text of eulogy quoted with permission of the Press Office, Governor General of Australia, December, 1997.)

The Governor-General of Australia, Sir William Deane delivered this tribute at the State funeral of Ted Matthews, the last of the Australians to land at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915.

Ted Matthews was the last surviving Australian of the approximately 16,000 men of the Australian and New Zealand Armed Corps who landed at what is now Anzac Cove on that fateful day more than 82 years ago.

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liam