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).

Popularity: 8% [?]

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Klahican 331 F11?

A few weeks ago, thanks to Bob Walton, I was sent an image of Klahican’s offering for this Summer’s NOAC.     As far as I know this will be the only issue from this lodge.

Their traditional design has been modified to include additional text for the theme, year and location of NOAC.     The flap is embroidered onto a green twill, with a green rolled edge border that roughly matches the background.       The fleur d’lis appears to be in a darker shade of green.

The listing data for this flap are as follows:
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Popularity: 11% [?]

Tipisa 326 eX2001-1

… Man walked on the Moon.     It truly was a great leap for mankind.   Alas, due to a lack of national will and poor political leadership on this issue, the legacy of this achievement has been squandered.     Instead of making great strides in space exploration, our astronauts today are barely able to achieve low Earth orbit.

I am amazed that a significant portion of Americans today doubt we ever landed on the Moon.     In my opinion that is an colossal display of ignorance.

After the break are several clips from the CBS News coverage of this event.     I am posting them both in honor of the anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing and the recent passing of Walter Cronkite.       Pay attention to what Vice President Agnew has to say (in part 3, I think) when asked for a comment about this great event.

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Popularity: 8% [?]

• 2009 NOAC National Committee Flap
  Posted on Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 in Patch Collecting – Views: (93)
  There is a lot on eBay right now that is identified as a “OA 2009 NOAC National Committee Flap”. This item is not authentic and has not been issued by the OA National Committee. This was publicly confirmed by a member of this committee.Some believe that this seller has sold other items of questionable authenticity in the past.
• Lodge 104: More 2009 NOAC Issues
  Posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 in Occoneechee 104 – Views: (54)
  I previously reported that Occoneechee lodge issued a two piece set, a jacket patch and a CSP for the 2009 NOAC.     Now I have word of two more two piece sets issued for the upcoming NOAC.The previous set had a bright blue border.
• Lodge 296: 2009 Conclave Campsite Host Patch
  Posted on Monday, July 13th, 2009 in Nayawin Rar 296 – Views: (60)
  Rick Pridgen has sent word and an image of yet another patch related to last April’s 2009 SR-7B conclave, aka the Cardinal Conclave.     Rick reports that this patch was issued by Nayawin Rar lodge for those who worked as campsite hosts.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Occoneechee 104 S74?

Occoneechee lodge recently issued another flap in honor of Charley Sullivan, a former member of the OA National Committee who was a member of this lodge.   Thanks to Greg Grimes for this image.

This flap is similar to the S58 issued in 2005 and the S70?- S73? issued last year.     There have been some minor changes made from these earlier flaps.     The “CS” has been moved to the bottom of the flap.     The dates 1920 and 2007, the years of Brother Sullivan’s birth and death have also been added.   The entire design is rendered in shades of gray.

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Popularity: 10% [?]

I’m sure most who read this blog now know about the death of Walter Cronkite.     However, there was one detail buried in CBS’s coverage of this story that those involved in Scouting might find interesting:

…Walter Leland Cronkite was born in St. Joseph, Missouri on November 4, 1916, the only child of a dentist father and homemaker mother. When he was still young, his family moved to Texas. One day, he read an article in “Boys Life” magazine about the adventures of reporters working around the world – and young Cronkite was hooked…

I do not know how active Cronkite was in the Boy Scouts, or if he was even a member at all.

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