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The following is a list of known surviving veterans of World War I (WWI) (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918). The total number of participating personnel is estimated by the Encyclopaedia Britannica at 65,038,810. There were approximately 9,750,103 military casualties during the conflict.
Veterans, for this purpose, are defined as people who were members of the armed forces of one of the combatant nations up to and including the date of the Armistice. Other WWI-era veterans are listed separately. This policy may vary from the policy in actual use in some countries.
The oldest living verified WWI veteran is 113-year-old Henry Allingham, born 6 June 1896. Emiliano Mercado del Toro of Puerto Rico (21 August 1891 – 24 January 2007), who died aged 115, is the oldest authenticated veteran, from any conflict, ever to have lived. On 27 May 2008, the last Central Powers veteran, Franz Künstler of Austria-Hungary, died at the age of 107.
[edit] Verified veterans of World War I—5 veterans
On 27 June 2006, the British Government approved a National Memorial Service at Westminster Abbey to take place after the death of the last known WWI veteran.[1] Similarly, on 21 November 2006, the Canadian House of Commons approved a state funeral for the last WWI veteran to have served in the Canadian forces to die.[2] This will now go to John Babcock should he accept it. On 19 March 2008, Frank Buckles was approved for burial at Arlington National Cemetery upon his eventual death.[3]
| Nationality |
Name |
Date of Birth |
Age |
Residence |
Force served |
Notes |
 United Kingdom |
Choules, Claude Stanley |
01901-03-03 3 March 1901 |
108 |
Australia |
Royal Navy |
Last seaman. Joined in 1916. Last witness to the scuttling of the fleet. Moved to Australia in 1926 and served with Royal Australian Navy in WWII. Lives in Perth, Western Australia.[4][5] |
| United Kingdom |
Allingham, Henry William |
01896-06-06 6 June 1896 |
113 |
United Kingdom |
12 Squadron RNAS (later RAF) |
Last airman. Joined in 1915 as mechanic. Last veteran of the Battle of Jutland. World's oldest man and oldest ever British man. Oldest veteran ever to see action. Lives in Brighton, Sussex.[6][7][8] |
| United Kingdom |
Patch, Henry John (Harry) |
01898-06-17 17 June 1898 |
111 |
United Kingdom |
British Army
7th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry |
Last Tommy. Last veteran to serve in the trenches and last to be wounded in action. Called up in 1916. Last survivor of Battle of Passchendaele. Lives in Wells, Somerset.[9][10][11] |
 Canada |
Babcock, John Henry Foster (Jack) |
01900-07-23 23 July 1900 |
108 |
United States |
 First 146th, CEF, then Boys Battalion |
Last Canadian veteran. Eligible for state funeral. Joined up in 1916. Completed training in UK but did not see action due to age. Moved to US in 1924. Lives in Spokane, Washington.[12][13] |
 United States |
Buckles, Frank Woodruff |
01901-02-01 1 February 1901 |
108 |
United States |
 United States Army 1st Fort Riley Casual Detachment |
Last American doughboy. Eligible for burial at Arlington. Joined in 1917. Ambulance driver near Western Front. Held prisoner in WWII. Lives in Charles Town, West Virginia.[14][15] |
[edit] Unverified World War I veteran claims—1 veteran
These are claims that were included in the press, but have not been verified by a government-sanctioned body or actual records located. To be a claim there must be at least a citation.
[edit] World War I-era veterans—1 veteran
Listed here are those who joined the armed services after the Armistice date, but before the Treaty of Versailles; or where there is debate on their join-date; or whose military service is sometimes viewed as outside the scope of WWI, but are considered WWI-era vets by the press or by their respective governments; or who served in a related conflict.
[edit] World totals—7 veterans
- Verified claims of World War I and World War I Era: 6
- World War I (Veterans who joined by Armistice Day): 5
- World War I Era Veterans: 1
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Last WWI veteran to be honoured". BBC News. 2006-06-27. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5120358.stm. Retrieved on 2008-08-25.
- ^ "First World War veterans don't want state funeral". CBC News. 2007-01-02. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/01/02/veteran-funeral.html. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
- ^ "Arlington Cemetery makes historic exception for World War I veteran". Salem News. 2008-04-08. http://www.salem-news.com/articles/april082008/ww1_vet_4-8-08.php. Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
- ^ "Veteran, 107, is last man to serve in both world wars". Worcester News. 2008-11-08. http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/local/3830105.Veteran__107__is_last_man_to_serve_in_both_world_wars/. Retrieved on 2009-01-21.
- ^ Booth, Gary (2002-05-13). "500 km by bike to demolish Albany". Navy News. http://www.defence.gov.au/news/navynews/editions/05_13_02/story09.htm. Retrieved on 2007-07-06.
- ^ Smith, David (2006-10-29). "Great War foes embrace as friends". The Observer. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1934438,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=11. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ Mccaffrey, Julie (2006-10-30). "Old Enemies.. New Friends". Mirror.co.uk. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_headline=old-enemies---new-friends-&method=full&objectid=18012398&siteid=94762-name_page.html. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ . http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090619/tuk-allingham-is-world-s-oldest-man-6323e80.html.
- ^ "WWI veteran celebrates 108 years". BBC Online News. 2006-10-30. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/5090664.stm. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ "Veteran, 109, revisits WWI trench". BBC Online News. 2007-07-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/6921217.stm. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
- ^ Patch, Harry; van Emden, Richard (2007). The Last Fighting Tommy. London: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-0-7475-9115-3.
- ^ "Lest We Forget". CBC News. 2006-11-06. http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/remembranceday/. Retrieved on 2007-05-30.
- ^ "Canada's last WW1 vet gets his citizenship back". CBC News. 2008-05-09. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/05/09/babcock-citizen.html.
- ^ "Oldest Living Heroes Remembered". CBS News. 2006-11-11. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/11/eveningnews/main2174447.shtml. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ Reynolds, Dean, and Stuart, Elizabeth (2006-12-02). "Last WWI Veterans Get Their Due". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2695964&page=1. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ "Army remembers old soldier Doug". Southern Daily Echo. 2003-06-27. http://archive.dailyecho.co.uk/2003/6/27/47473.html. Retrieved on 2008-10-02.
- ^ "105th birthday - Mr Douglas Terrey". Marchwood Parish Council. 2008-09-28. http://www.marchwoodparishcouncil.org.uk/Marchwood-Village-News/Autumn-2008/105th-Birthday.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-18.
- ^ "Pan Józef ma 107 lat i czuje się znakomicie" (in Polish). Wirtualna Polska. http://wiadomosci.wp.pl/wiadomosc.html?wid=8714409&ticaid=132ac. Retrieved on 2007-03-16.
- ^ "Niech żyje 200 lat!" (in Polish). Radio Zachód S.A.. http://www.zachod.pl/articles/view/niech-zyje-200-lat. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
- ^ "200 lat dla pana Józefa! Najstarszy Lubuszanin mieszka w Tursku." (in Polish). Gazeta Lubuska. http://www.gazetalubuska.pl/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090202/POWIAT12/535624281. Retrieved on 2009-02-06.
- ^ "NAJSTARSZY LUBUSZANIN" (in Polish). Lubuski Urząd Wojewódzki. http://www.luw.pl/?mod=news&act=sdetail&cID=firstpage&nID=3940. Retrieved on 2009-02-06.
[edit] External links
United Kingdom
Canada
United States
Poland
Polish Army 22nd Regiment Ułanów
