The last veterans...

[roel22]

Reacting on the passing away of the last French veteran at age 110: who keeps track of how many veterans are still alive?

In the years after the war veterans moved away, emigrated... Military authorities soon must have had no idea of their whereabouts.

So how is it possible, so many years after the war, to say exactly how many veterans are still alive?

Or am I overlooking an obvious answer?

Roel

[dfaulder]

Don't ask the government - they will use if as a further justification for ID cards!

I think we may not know all of them. Richard van Emdem mentions in his book "Britain's Last Tommies", that he was in a nursing/old people's home interviewing one veteran, who casually mentioned that there was another veteran down the corridor!

Presumably however they are receiving military pensions?

David

[Chief_Chum]

"Presumably however they are receiving military pensions?"

...but, of course, the Data Protection Excuse means that no one in this country is allowed to know who they are or where they are until they die...

You are quite right Roel, no one knows exactly how many there may be left in the UK although it seems fairly unlikely that any more will pop up now.

[Piorun]

There's one Canadian veteran left alive but he lives in the USA.

[Tunneller]

There's one Canadian veteran left alive but he lives in the USA.

This was sent to me by a French firend. I`ve translated it using a computer package, so it is verbatim, apologies for the grammar but its how it comes out.

Jim

Good evening with all and all Which it can rest in peace while waiting for the 8 last which live always all over the world.

Henry Allingham, born on June 6, 1896, 111 years. Senior of the veterans, it is the only one to have fought beginning with the end of the conflict. Volunteer in the British army since 1914, it integrates as mechanic Royal the Naval Air Service, takes share in 1916 with the naval battle of Jutland. It is transferred in 1917 in a unit of the Royal Air Force, within which it fights in the Sum. It lives today in England.

- Harry Patch, born on June 17, 1898, 109 years. He is the last British veteran to have fought in the trenches. Called in 1917, it integrates the 7th division of light infantry of the Duke of Cornouailles. It fights on the Franco-Belgian face, in particular in Ypres. It is seriously wounded on September 22, 1917 by a shell. It lives today in England.

- Claude Choules, born on March 3, 1901, 106 years. Entered in 1916 Royal Navy, it is useful since 1917, aboard battleship HMS Revenge at sea of North. It lives today in Australia. Italian army In addition to Lazare Ponticelli, two other veterans fought for Italy:

- Delfino Borroni, born on August 23, 1898, 109 years. It integrates, in January 1917, the body of Bersagliers, crack corps of the Italian infantry and combat against Austro-Hungarian in the Tyrol, on the high plateau of Asiago. Affected in September 1917 on the Eastern face in the sector of Cividale, it takes share with the battle of Caporetto. It lives today in the north of Italy.

- Francesco Chiarello, born November 5, 1898, 109 years. Called in the Italian army since 1918, it integrates the 19th regiment of infantry of Cosenza. Sent to the face in the area of Thirty, it takes part in the counter-offensive of Piave and the final battle of Vittorio Veneto. It lives today in the south of Italy.

American army - Franck Buckles, born on February 1, 1901, 106 years. It engages in 1917 at the 16 years age. In December 1917, it leaves for France. Initially ambulance man, it is then affected with the monitoring and the escort of German prisoners. Mr. Buckles is the last veteran of the American army to have been useful in zone of combat. He lives today in Virginia Occidentale (East coast).

Army austro-Hungarian woman - Franz Künstler, born on July 24, 1900, 107 years. February 6, 1918, it enters to the 5e regiment of Hungarian artillery of Szeged. After six weeks of military formation, it is sent on the Italian face and takes part in the battles of Piave (June 1918) and Vittorio Veneto (October-November 1918). Last survivor of the armies austro-Hungarian women, Mr. Künstler currently lives in the south of Germany.

Army of the Othoman Empire - Yakup Satar, born on March 11, 1898, 109 years. It engages in the Othoman army in 1915. It integrates a called secret unit "gazcilar", in which German instructors form them with launching gases. Yakup Satar is made prisoner by the forces anglo-Indians at the time of the 2e battles of Kut-el-Amara, February 23, 1917, on the face of Baghdad. Last veteran of the Othoman Empire, Yakup Satar lives today in Turkey.

- belligerent Countries where there is no more combatant surviving of the First World War: Germany, Belgium, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Czech Republic, Senegal...

[Max]

Presumably however they are receiving military pensions?

I very much doubt it. I obviously stand to be corrected but I believe returning troops received a one off gratuity rather than an ongoing pension.

Andy

[stuartd]

Is that correct that returning WW1 soldiers just got a one off payment and not a pension? How much was the gratuity? But didn't widows of those who were killed receive a pension?

[healdav]

The French veterans and pensioners have their own government minister.

If he doesn't know how many there are of any type and from any war, at all times, he loses his job.

The veterans are likely to be out on the streets as well.

They mostly get a pension of some sort as the minister 'fiddles' it with other government departments to try to ensure that they keep voting for that party. They even have reserved seats on he Metro, etc.

Mind you, I objected strongly to one old guy running for the train and then demanding that I give up the 'reserved for the handicapped seat if they need it' as he was a mutilé de guerre! Oh, and he had an ID card to prove it.