And Then There Were Three
Posted in Current Events by John E. Pannell on July 25th, 2009 at 10:28 am Harry Patch, 111, passed away quietly at about 9am BST today. He was the last surviving British army vetaran from World War I. A more detailed story can be read online from The Times. The BBC has published a photo tribute to him online.
His death comes only a week after the passing of Henry Allingham, 113, the last founding member of the RAF.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said, of his passing, “..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…”
The article states:
…The Ministry of Defense called Patch “the last British survivor of the First World War,” although 108-year-old Claude Choules of Australia is believed to have served in the Royal Navy during the conflict…
Mr. Patch served in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, so it is only fitting that tributes to him are being led by the current Duke of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales.
Claude Choules, who served in the Royal Navy, is now considered to be the last surviving veteran of WW1 to have served in the British forces. He currently lives in Australia, and is apparently a citizen of that country, and is why Mr. Patch was the last surviving British veteran. I think the writer was sloppy in saying “believed to have served” as I am not aware of any questions surrounding Mr. Choules’ service.
Only three confirmed veterans of WW1 still survive. In addition to Mr. Choules, there is John Babcock (who served for Canada), and Frank Buckles (the last surviving US veteran).
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The BBC has published the Prince of Wales’ video tribute online:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8168758.stm