List of last living war veterans
This page lists the last known surviving veterans of numerous military conflicts.
Early modern period
These cases, particularly with respect to the ages claimed by the veterans, cannot be verified.
- Thomas "Old Tom" Parr (died 1635). Claimed to have joined the army in 1500 at the age of 17 and served under Henry VIII though modern experts believe his birth records were confused with his grandfather's.[1]
- Annibal Camoux (1638-1759) was an old soldier who served under Louis XIV and Louis XV. If his claim of enlisting at the age of 12 is true, it would make him the last veteran of the War of Devolution, Franco-Dutch War, War of the Grand Alliance, and War of the Spanish Succession.[2]
- Jacob Christiansen Drakenberg (died 1772) - a Norwegian sailor who claimed he was born in 1626 and fought for Frederick III of Denmark in the Dano-Swedish War (1657–1658) and again from 1675-1681 in the Scanian War.[3]
- Andreas Nielsen (1660-1782) Another old soldier from Norway. Last Scanian War veteran, claimed to have had a long military career and seen many battles.[4]
- Anton Grolekofsky (c.1672-1785) - Old Polish soldier who lived in Sweden. Claimed to have fought in many battles of the Nine Years' War, Russo-Swedish War and Polish-Swedish War.
- William Hiseland (1620-1732), also known as Thomas - A soldier from Wiltshire who fought in the English Civil War, Williamite War in Ireland and War of the Spanish Succession.[5] He was the last survivor of the Battle of Edgehill and retired with the rank of sergeant.[6] He married 4 times, taking his last wife at the age of 100; all of his wives predeceased him.[7] For his 80-year service to the king he was one of the first to be admitted to the Royal Hospital Chelsea.[8]
- Petro Kalnyshevsky (1691-1803) - Last of the Zaporozhian Host and last known veteran of the Great Northern War, also fought in the 1735 and 1768 Russo-Turkish Wars (by which time he was an Ataman).[9]
- George Browne (soldier) (1698-1792) - Irish nobleman who supported the Old Pretender. Later became a mercenary in the Russian army.
- Paul François de Quelen de la Vauguyon (1746-1828) - France.
- Henry Luttrell, 2nd Earl of Carhampton (1743-1821) - Britain.
- Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (1742-1819) - Germany.
- Robert Abercromby of Airthrey (1740-1827) - Britain
- Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain Chartier de Lotbinière (1748-1822) - France
- Lemuel Cook (1759-1866) - Last official veteran
- John Gray (1764-1868) - Last verifiable veteran although his period of service was too short for him to qualify for a pension.[10]
- Daniel F. Bakeman (1759-1869)[11] - Claimed to be a veteran and was awarded a pension by Congress, but could not prove his service.
- Nicolas Savin (d.1894) - Enlisted in the 2nd Regiment of Hussars in 1798. He claimed to have been born in 1768, possibly because he was underage. The 1768 figure would mean he was about 126 at the time of his death. Later served under Napoleon and was awarded the Legion d'Honneur. [12]
- Geert Adriaans Boomgaard (1788-1899) - last surviving veteran. He fought for France in the 33ème Régiment Léger [13] Died at age 110.
- Loius Victor Baillot (1793-1898) also from France - Last Battle of Waterloo veteran. He also saw action at the siege of Hamburg.[13]
- Pedro Martinez (1789-1898) - last Battle of Trafalgar veteran. He served in the Spanish navy on San Juan Nepomuceno. [13]
- Josephine Mazurkewicz (1784-1896) from Poland - Last female veteran. She was an assistant surgeon in Napoleon's army and later participated in the Crimean War.[13]
- Joseph Sutherland (c.1790-1890), Royal Navy - Last English veteran and last British survivor of Trafalgar.
- Hiram Cronk (1800-1905) - US Army[15]
- Sir Provo Wallis (1791-1892) - Royal Navy. Also a Napoleonic veteran.[16]
- François X. Matthieu (1818-1914) - Parti Patriote
- Douglas Labalmondière (1815-1893) - Upper Canada Rebels
- Owen Thomas Edgar (1831-1929) - USN[17]
- William Fitzhugh Thornton Buckner (1828-1929) - Penultimate Mexican War veteran. Lived in Missouri and later worked as a banker.
- Col. R. E. B. Crompton (1845-1940) - Last and youngest British veteran. Also fought in the Indian Mutiny.[18]
- Yves Prigent (1833-1938) - French sailor.[19]
- Charles Nathan (1834-1934). Last French soldier, also saw action in Italy, Syria, Mexico and the Franco-Prussian War.
- Sgt-Major Edwin Hughes (1830-1927). Last survivor of the Charge of the Light Brigade.[20]
- Francois Ribet (1835-1936) - France[21]
- Albert Woolson (1850-1956) - Union[22]
Two Candidates for last CS Veteran are:
- Pleasant Crump (1847-1951) of Alabama - Last verifiable veteran
- William Jordan Bush (July 10, 1845-November 11, 1952) of Georgia
- Jules Pujos (1846-1942) - France[23]
- Feliks Bartczuk (1846-1946) last veteran
- Antoni Suss (1844-1946) Penultimate veteran
- Władysław Mamert Wandalli (1845-1942)
- Benedykt Dybowski (1833-1930) - Polish intellectual
- John A. Hammond (1843-1939)
- Fredrak Fraske (1872-1973)[24]
- John Daw (1870-1965)[25]
- Dewey Beard (c.1855-1955) - A Native American from the Lakota tribe and the last survivor of the Battle of the Little Big Horn.[26] He also fought at Wounded Knee.[27]
- Seraphin Pruvost (1849–1955). Last French veteran.[28]
- Karl Glockner (1845–1953). Last German veteran.[29]
- Adrien Lejeune (1847-1942) - Last Communard
- Emile Chausse (1850-1941) - Left the army and joined the communards in 1870[30]
- Antonin Desfarges (1851-1941) - Last Communard député
- Pvt Charles Wallace Warden (died 1953)[31]
- Sgt Frank Bourne (1854-1945). Last survivor of Rorke's Drift.[32]
- Honoré Jackson (1861-1952)
- Jones Morgan (c.1882-1993)[33]
- Nathan E. Cook (1885-1992)[34]
- Trooper George Frederick Ives (1881-1993) - British army, later emigrated to Canada.[35] Died at age 111.
- Teodoro Garcia (1889-1999) - Last Federal soldier[36][37]
- Feliciano Mejia (1899- ) - Last living Member of Emiliano Zapata's Ejercito Libertador del Sur [38][39]
- Antonio Gómez Delgado (1900- ) -Last living Member of Pancho Villa's División del Norte[40]
See List of last surviving World War I veterans by country
- Boris Gudz (1902-2006) - Red Army[41]
- Ants Ilus (1901-2006) - Estonia[42]
- Aarne Arvonen (1897-2009) - Red Guards[43]
- Lennart Ronnback (1905-2007) - White Guards[44]
- Dan Keating (1902-2007) - Irish Republican Army[45]
- Josef Kowalski (b.1900) - Poland.[46]
- Mustafa Şekip Birgöl (1903 - 2008) - Turkey[47][48]
- Yakup Satar (1898-2008) - Turkey. Penultimate War of independence veteran and last WW1 veteran.[49]
See Surviving veterans of the Spanish Civil War
See also
- Last European veterans by war
- Last surviving United States war veterans
- List of last surviving Canadian war veterans
- List of first occurrences
- List of last occurrences
References
- ^ Old Tom Parr's grave at Westminster Abbey
- ^ Annibal Camoux
- ^ Jacob Drakenberg
- ^ Peterson, L, Age Validation of Centenarians in the Luxdorph Gallery (Nov 14 2008)
- ^ [Extract from Garwood, J, The million peopled city (London 1853)]
- ^ R Winder, It's a grand life for Chelsea's men in scarlet, Independent (Jan 25 2009)
- ^ Memorials for a really old soldier
- ^ Chelsea Pensioners Website
- ^ Petro Kalnyshevsky/
- ^ Last surviving veterans of America's Wars
- ^ http://genealogytrails.com/main/bakemanbio.html Biography of Daniel F. Bakeman
- ^ Derniers veterans de l'Armee Napoleon
- ^ a b c d e Derniers vétérans de l'Armée napoléonienne, Premier Empire
- ^ Photos of Napoleonic War Veterans in Wars in History Channel
- ^ Article written by the Utica Sunday Journal to Celebrate the Veteran's 103rd birthday
- ^ [Provo Wallis at Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online]
- ^ [Owen Thomas Edgar]
- ^ IET Website biography of Crompton
- ^ dernier vétéran de la guerre de crimée et du siège de sébastopole
- ^ When did the last surviving veteran of the Crimean War die?
- ^ [Guerres et campagnes de Crimée (1853-1856), d'Italie (1859), d'Afrique (1864), du Mexique (1862-1867)]
- ^ on find a grave has him being born in 1847Sons of Union Veterans biography
- ^ [Guerres et campagnes de Crimée (1853-1856), d'Italie (1859), d'Afrique (1864), du Mexique (1862-1867)]
- ^ Frederick Fraske's obituary on genealogytrails.com
- ^ John Daw's obituary on genealogytrails.com
- ^ Little Big Horn 129 years on
- ^ Dewey Beard
- ^ Derniers vétérans Guerre 1870-71
- ^ Derniers vétérans allemands de la guerre de 1870-71
- ^ http://derniersveterans.free.fr/commune.html
- ^ http://www.historum.com/showthread.php?t=3638&highlight=last+veterans
- ^ rorkesdriftvc.com - Discussion Forum
- ^ [Jones Morgan]
- ^ [Nathan E Cook]
- ^ [David Twiston Davis, Canada From Afar (1995)]
- ^ Last known Mexican to fight rebel Pancho Villa dead at 110
- ^ Teodoro Garcia, 110; Fought Villa on the Government Side
- ^ Perrig, S, The Last Zapatistas (Mexico, 2000)
- ^ http://flickr.com/photos/ferfoto/3069254965/ Picture of Mejia
- ^ Emerson Kent, Timeline of the Mexican Revolution, Jan 12, 2009
- ^ Timesonline Obituary for Boris Gudz
- ^ http://www.president.ee/et/vabariik/teenetem2rgid.php?gid=89301
- ^ http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/htimes/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2442:finlands-oldest-person-turns-111-years-old&catid=33:general&Itemid=201
- ^ http://www.uusisuomi.fi/kotimaa/3944-viimeinen-vapaussoturi-lennart-ronnback-kuoli-102-vuotiaana
- ^ "Irish Civil War veteran dies at 105", BBC News, 3 October 2007
- ^ "Pan Józef ma 107 lat i czuje się znakomicie" (in Polish). Wirtualna Polska. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
- ^ Obituary (in Turkish)
- ^ Turkey's last soldier from war of independence dies in Istanbul
- ^ Times obituary