"Last Widow of the Great War'...Not Accurate?

[ph0ebus]

Hi all,

I read this article, and was a little confused:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2500031/The-widow-Great-War-Devoted-wife-pays-tribute-hero-husband-remarkable-WWI-story-inspired-War-Horse.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

As far as I know, Frank Babcock's widow is also still alive and in good health, so what gives? Dorothy Ellis was born after the war had already ended, so why would Dorothy Babcock not also qualify?

-Daniel

[ss002d6252]

I was thinking the same - If a man married or re-married later in life then there could feasibly be quite a few widows of WW1 soldiers around

Craig

[centurion]

On the Beeb this evening. However my late wife's grandfather served in WW1 ( a jam stealer I think) - he re married in his late 60s and had 2 more children one of whom is still very much alive. AFAIK his second wife is still around albeit no spring chicken any more. I feel sure she isn't the only one.

[stevem49]

Lots of children still around.

[Forton]

It is basically a pile of tosh. There are a number of widows of WW1 veterans still around. The only person who qualifies to my mind is Grace Jones, Britain's oldest living person, born December 1899. Her fiance was killed in 1918.

[Stoppage Drill]

I posted this table in another topic recently.

[keithfazzani]

Of course I wouldn't like to cast any kind of aspersion on journalists, but do you mean to say that anyone believes them. Amazing!

[Seany]

are they describing wives of men who died in the war or widows of survivors?

[Pighills]

They must have meant widows of surviving men as she was aged 93 and so would not have been born until 1920/21.

[centurion]

It is basically a pile of tosh. There are a number of widows of WW1 veterans still around. The only person who qualifies to my mind is Grace Jones, Britain's oldest living person, born December 1899. Her fiance was killed in 1918.

So not a widow

[centurion]

Of course I wouldn't like to cast any kind of aspersion on journalists, but do you mean to say that anyone believes them. Amazing!

What's the old saying - "Never let the facts get in the way of a good story"

[NigelS]

It is basically a pile of tosh. There are a number of widows of WW1 veterans still around. The only person who qualifies to my mind is Grace Jones, Britain's oldest living person, born December 1899. Her fiance was killed in 1918.

Sadly, Grace Jones, who never married, has died Click

Reunited with her soldier fiancé after all these years RIP both

NigelS

[Derek Black]

Sadly, Grace Jones, who never married, has died Click

Reunited with her soldier fiancé after all these years RIP both

NigelS

and also the last Briton born in the 19th century, a real milestone in the passage of our countries history with her death.

[Doc2]

I posted this table in another topic recently.

Do you have any idea how they defined "on benefits rolls"? I suspect these numbers are very low, because many veterans and dependents are not on any kind of benefit rolls.

[Stoppage Drill]

Not really too sure, Doc. i.e. I don't know !

I remembered reading a Time magazine article at the time of the 100th anniversary of the American Civil War, and being surprised that there were still x number of widows alive, and so I googled and found that table, plus some other interesting information.

In the intervening years(since reading that Time mag (bought from the lovely ladies of MMG - Mission to Mediterranean Garrisons ! ) I have read that many ACW vets in their later years, went on to marry much younger women, which explains why so many widows of vets (though not "war widows" in the sense most would understand the term) survive for so long.

Nevertheless, it does seem remarkable that (at least until earlier this year) a child of an ACW vet is still alive.

[centurion]

There was an item at the nd of the last century suggesting that there had been an element of scam with marriages being claimed by young women to ancient ACW vets, some dead some senile, to gain pension rights and it was impossible to sort out the genuine from the cons

[Stoppage Drill]

That sounds likely.

[WhiteStarLine]

According to the Australian Department of Veterans' Affairs, they have 160 widows still alive. With reference to the 2015 Gallipoli ballot, "Five hundred people will be officially invited, including 160 widows of World War I veterans and their carers. "

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2013/s3890710.htm?&section=news

[Knotty]

Accurate or not, sadly Dorothy Ellis passed away yesterday (August 1st) at the age of 96.

RIP