Anneca Posted 3 October , 2012 Share Posted 3 October , 2012 I took these photographs last week in the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. As I had read some time ago that the last soldier to die was an American soldier of German descent, Henry Gunther, I wondered if anyone could shed any light on whether the last soldier was Pte George Price or Henry Gunther? Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphjd Posted 3 October , 2012 Share Posted 3 October , 2012 i have always been given to understand that Pte Price was the last Allied soldier killed, perhaps incorrectly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anneca Posted 3 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 3 October , 2012 i have always been given to understand that Pte Price was the last Allied soldier killed, perhaps incorrectly. Rjaydee, I reckon you are correct as the inscription on Pte Price's memorial reads "The Last Soldier Killed in the War". I remember making a note of Henry Gunther's name after reading that he was the last and this confused me, but I can't remember where I got that information from. Many thanks. Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySearching Posted 3 October , 2012 Share Posted 3 October , 2012 There is a previous thread on the topic here regards Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem49 Posted 3 October , 2012 Share Posted 3 October , 2012 Timewatch (BBC) had Gunther as 10.59 on 11/11/1918. From memory, Persico also mentions him. When watch's were rare and not always to the exact time, I cannot see how anyone can say for sure who was the last to die. Better to record the last man from each country perhaps. Better still - not bother - they were no more or less special than the others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anneca Posted 3 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 3 October , 2012 There is a previous thread on the topic here regards Ray Thanks for this Ray. I had searched on the Forum before I posted the thread but couldn't find anything. Interesting that Henry Gunther is mentioned in the posts so I'm not going out of my mind. Regards Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anneca Posted 3 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 3 October , 2012 Timewatch (BBC) had Gunther as 10.59 on 11/11/1918. From memory, Persico also mentions him. When watch's were rare and not always to the exact time, I cannot see how anyone can say for sure who was the last to die. Better to record the last man from each country perhaps. Better still - not bother - they were no more or less special than the others. Steve, I am sure you are correct in what you say and I agree it would be much better to take each man from each country. Yes, these men were no more special than the others but just to live a few minutes longer........... Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khaki Posted 3 October , 2012 Share Posted 3 October , 2012 The 'last to die' is different to the 'last KIA', with all the thousands of seriously wounded and ill in hospitals, how can anyone really know? khaki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySearching Posted 3 October , 2012 Share Posted 3 October , 2012 Intrestingly using Geoffs search engine the CWGC list 528 casualties died on the 12th of the 11th 1918 one day after the armistice regards Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantowi Posted 3 October , 2012 Share Posted 3 October , 2012 Intrestingly using Geoffs search engine the CWGC list 528 casualties died on the 12th of the 11th 1918 one day after the armistice This was mentioned on a program that Michael Palin did on the last to die (on a few weks ago) All of the French that died on the 12th, had the date of death recorded as the 11th Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill24chev Posted 3 October , 2012 Share Posted 3 October , 2012 I dont want to sound pedantic but the last service men killed in WW1 were German navy personell killed in the confusion caused by the scutttling of the High Seas Fleet on the 21st june 1919. see http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/scuttle.html There would/could also have been soldiers, sailors and airmen who died (of wounds or injury received before 11/11/1918) after the 21st June but before the Treaty of Versailles was signed a week later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anneca Posted 3 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 3 October , 2012 The 'last to die' is different to the 'last KIA', with all the thousands of seriously wounded and ill in hospitals, how can anyone really know? khaki I totally agree with you Khaiki - 'the last to die' is obviously different to 'the last KIA', and as you have stated, how can anyone really know. I don't think this question can be answered. When I was at the Museum where I took the photographs I couldn't quite come to terms with the statement 'the last soldier killed in the war' and questioned in my own mind if this could be substantiated in some way. It is also interesting that Bill 24Cev has commented about the German navy personnel and the men who died after the Treaty of Versailles was signed. Perhaps it is better to remember all of them without distinguishing when or where they died. Regards Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmaasz Posted 4 October , 2012 Share Posted 4 October , 2012 I have posted this before a long time ago but I don't remember in what context. From the regimental history of the Oxfordshire Hussars, a quote from Captain Wellesley's diary: "At 11.15 it was necessary to end the days of a Hun machine-gunner on our front who would keep on shooting. The armistice was already in force but there was no alternative. Perhaps his watch was wrong, but he was probably the last German killed in the war - a most unlucky individual!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anneca Posted 4 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 4 October , 2012 see http://www.worldwar1...uk/scuttle.html Bill, it was interesting to read this and to learn about the Germans who were shot at Scapa Flow in June 1919. Thank you. Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anneca Posted 4 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 4 October , 2012 I have posted this before a long time ago but I don't remember in what context. From the regimental history of the Oxfordshire Hussars, a quote from Captain Wellesley's diary: "At 11.15 it was necessary to end the days of a Hun machine-gunner on our front who would keep on shooting. The armistice was already in force but there was no alternative. Perhaps his watch was wrong, but he was probably the last German killed in the war - a most unlucky individual!" He certainly was a very unlucky individual if his watch was wrong or if in fact he didn't own one. On the other hand had he known the time and kept on shooting, his death would certainly have been inevitable. Regarding Captain Wellesley's statement "probably the last German killed in the war" - he probably was the last at that instant, until the next one and the next one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushfighter Posted 4 October , 2012 Share Posted 4 October , 2012 If there are Members viewing this thread who can think beyond the confines of the Western Front (are there any?), British and German soldiers continued to fight each other in East Africa beyond 11th November 1918. On 12th November six British Askari of 1st 4th King's African Rifles were killed in a fight on the Malima River in Northern Rhodesia. At least one of the 13 men wounded from the battalion died of his wounds. During the following day the news of the Armistice with Germany began to filter through. Will anyone ever recognise those dead men as being the last, do you think, or is the whole business of the Sideshows just a distraction from the Western Front? Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W.J.Caughey Posted 4 October , 2012 Share Posted 4 October , 2012 If there are Members viewing this thread who can think beyond the confines of the Western Front (are there any?), British and German soldiers continued to fight each other in East Africa beyond 11th November 1918. On 12th November six British Askari of 1st 4th King's African Rifles were killed in a fight on the Malima River in Northern Rhodesia. At least one of the 13 men wounded from the battalion died of his wounds. During the following day the news of the Armistice with Germany began to filter through. Will anyone ever recognise those dead men as being the last, do you think, or is the whole business of the Sideshows just a distraction from the Western Front? Harry Harry, felt like that when researching my G.Grandfather's history died of pneumonia 15th Dec 1918, that he was forgotten after giving 4yrs service. And everyone please don't forget the one's that died at home in the UK due to sickness/wounds etc before and after the 11th Nov 1918. According to CWGC 629 service personnel died/killed on the 11/11/1918, i think i even seen the suppose last man to have died in war on there website(which i can't find now). Here's a quote i happen to have kept, i think it was written when the Belfast book of honour was being advertise. Last Belfast man to die WW1 Source "I came across this link in todays Irish News. According to the article, the WW1 was only 32 hours old when the first Belfast man to lose his life was killed on August 6 1914. Able Seaman Charles McConaghy (25) lived in Belfast although his parents were from Dungiven, Co Londonderry. On 11 November 1918, the day the guns fell silent after four years, Private Samuel Currie(28) of the Army Service Corps died of his wounds leaving a widow, Margaret, in Island Street. In the four years and three months which separated these deaths, more than 5,300 Belfast men and women lost their lives." journeyofremembering.org Walter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anneca Posted 4 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 4 October , 2012 And everyone please don't forget the one's that died at home in the UK due to sickness/wounds etc before and after the 11th Nov 1918. I second that Walter! Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill24chev Posted 5 October , 2012 Share Posted 5 October , 2012 Also somewhere out there, probably in France or Flanders, is a piece of rusty ordnance waiting to claim the FINAL casualty of the Great War. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anneca Posted 6 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 6 October , 2012 You may well be right Bill. Look what happened in the centre of Munich the other month when a WW2 unexploded 250 kilogram aerial bomb was detonated. The blast damaged surrounding buildings but was unavoidable because defusing the unstable bomb was too dangerous. Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loganshort Posted 6 October , 2012 Share Posted 6 October , 2012 Re above post: "When watch's were rare and not always to the exact time, I cannot see how anyone can say for sure who was the last to die" Judging from the amount of trench watches being sold on e by gum bay, i think everyone over there had a watch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfraser Posted 6 October , 2012 Share Posted 6 October , 2012 Palin's nice doc is on you tube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZIG2cviJJo Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anneca Posted 7 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 October , 2012 Palin's nice doc is on you tube here: Colin Colin, this was very interesting to watch and brilliant film footage. Thank you for posting it. Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoppage Drill Posted 7 October , 2012 Share Posted 7 October , 2012 Gordon Brooke-Shepherd mentions ("November 1918" pub 1981 HarperCollins) an incident where " . . . the captain commanding an English cavalry squadron which took the Belgian village of Erquelinnes wrote that morning, 'At 11.15 it was found necessary to end the days of a Hun machine-gunner who would keep on shooting. The armistice was was already in force, but there was no alternative. Perhaps his watch was wrong but he was probably the last German killed in the war - a most unlucky individual !'" B-S ( unfortunate initials, perhaps) also wrote that, "Elsewhere on the British front an officer commanding a battery of six-inch howitzers was killed at one minute past eleven - at which his second-in-command ordered the entire battery to go on firing for another hour against the silent German lines." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfraser Posted 7 October , 2012 Share Posted 7 October , 2012 Colin, this was very interesting to watch and brilliant film footage. Thank you for posting it. Anne Glad you enjoyed it. You tube is a gold mine these days, especially for hard to find UK material not seen in N. America. I have to admit that the documentary is not very complimentary to Pershing and his General (name forgotten) who got 300+ of their men killed for a bath. I had to wonder on first viewing if the editorial position on this event in the doc was exaggerated a bit to fit the tragedy of the story line, but I did a little cursory research and it appeared to be true. Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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