The following is a list of known veterans of the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918) who died in 2008.
Veterans by country of service - 17 veterans[]
On 17 March 2008, despite the existence of Pierre Picault, Fernand Goux and an anonymous veteran, Lazare Ponticelli received the French state funeral as the last poilu officially recognized by the French government.[1] On 3 April 2008, Yakup Satar was similarly honoured in Turkey,[2] as was Italy's Delfino Borroni on 29 October 2008.[3]
| Country served | Name | Born | Died | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Austria-Hungary |
Künstler, Franz | 24 July 1900 | 27 May 2008 (107) | Last Austria-Hungarian and Central Powers World War I veteran. Born in Hungary. Served in Italian Front. Also served for Hungary in World War II. Moved to Germany in 1946. Oldest man living in Germany at the time of his death.[4][5] |
 France |
Cambefort, Raymond | 11 February 1900 | 16 January 2008 (107) | Excluded from French government lists-did not fight for three months in combat service. Signed up on 28 August 1918.[6] |
| France |
de Cazenave, Louis | 16 October 1897 | 20 January 2008 (110) | Was thought to be the last World War I veteran born in France, until another veteran, Fernand Goux, was discovered. France's oldest man at the time of his death.[7][8] |
| France |
Goux, Fernand | 31 December 1899 | 9 November 2008 (108) | Served in 85th, then 82nd Infantry. Called up on 19 April 1918 to supply troops and bury dead. In trenches on 3 November. Excluded from French government lists-did not fight for three months in combat service. Lived in Paris Region.[9][10] |
| France |
Picault, Pierre | 27 February 1899 | 20 November 2008 (109) | Served in the French Army 83rd Artillery. Called up on 15 April 1918 as 2nd class gunner. Excluded from French government lists. Lived in Bou, Loiret. France's oldest man at the time of his death.[11] |
France &  Kingdom of Italy |
Ponticelli, Lazare | 24 December 1897 | 12 March 2008 (110) | Third to last veteran to have fought in French and Italian armies. Born in Italy. Fought in French Army from 1914–15 and Italian Army from 1915-18. Oldest living Italian born and French male upon death.[12] |
 German Empire |
Kästner, Erich | 10 March 1900 | 1 January 2008 (107) | Last World War I German Empire veteran and born in Germany. Enlisted in July 1918. Sent to Western Front to fight in France. Serving as a Major in ground support for the Luftwaffe in World War II.[13][14][15] |
| Kingdom of Italy |
Borroni, Delfino Edmondo | 23 August 1898 | 26 October 2008 (110) | Last Italian veteran. Signed up in January 1917; served in Italian Army, 6th Bersaglieri Bologna. Lived in Castano Primo, near Milan.[16] |
| Kingdom of Italy |
Chiarello, Francesco Domenico | 5 November 1898 | 27 June 2008 (109) | Joined the Italian army in 1918 as a member of the 19th infantry regiment from Cosenza. Fought in the final battle of Vittorio Veneto.[17][18] |
 Ottoman Empire |
Satar, Yakup | 11 March 1898 | 2 April 2008 (110) | Last World War I veteran who fought for the Ottoman Empire. Born in Crimea. Enlisted in 1915. Taken prisoner in 1917 in Baghdad campaign by the British.[19] |
 Ukraine |
Krichevsky, Mikhail Efimovich | 25 February 1897 | 26 December 2008 (111) |
Served for Russia. Joined up in 1917. Accounts differ as to whether he was sent to the Austro-Hungarian front. After October Revolution returned home. Ukraine's oldest man. Lived in Donetsk.[20][21] |
 Poland |
Wycech, Stanisław | 27 June 1902 | 12 January 2008 (105) | Poland's last known veteran of World War I. Messenger in 1915, aged 13. Saw action on 10 November 1918. Called back in 1919 to fight the Bolsheviks. Lived in Warsaw up until his death.[22] |
 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
Campany, Ivy Lillian | 23 September 1901 | 19 December 2008 (107) | Penultimate female veteran of any country. Joined Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps during World War I. Fire-watcher in World War II. Lived in Margate, Kent at the time of her death.[23] |
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
Lucas, Sydney Maurice (Syd) | 21 September 1900 | 4 November 2008 (108) | Served in the 45th Sherwood Foresters. Did not see action (was still in training). Moved to Australia in 1928 and served in the Australian Army in World War II.[24] |
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
Powers, Gladys | 10 May 1899 | 15 August 2008 (109) | Last World War I veteran living in Canada. Barracks waitress in the WAAC, and later in the WRAF. Moved to Canada in 1920. Lived in Abbotsford, British Columbia at the time of her death.[25][26] |
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
Stair, Stanley Charles | October 1900 | April 2008 (107) | Last World War I veteran from the British West Indies Regiment. Infantryman with the rank of Private. Awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Lived in Animal Hill, Lucea, Jamaica.[27] |
| United States | Landis, Harry Richard | 12 December 1899 | 4 February 2008 (108) | Lived in Florida, Joined United States Army in October 1918 in the Student Army Training Corps. Did not finish basic training. Discharged in December 1918.[28][29] |
Unverified World War I veterans - 1 veteran[]
Listed here is veterans who were not verified by government sanctions as a World War I veteran.
| Country served | Name | Born | Died | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Olin, William | 28 August 1904 | 12 September 2008 (104) | Claimed to have enlisted at age thirteen into the United States Army. Lived in Chicago, Illinois. |
World War I-era veterans - 4 veterans[]
Listed here are those that joined the armed services after the Armistice date, but before the Treaty of Versailles was signed, or where there is debate on their join-date, or whose military service is sometimes viewed as outside the scope of "World War I", but are considered World War I-era veterans by the press or by their respective governments, or served in a related conflict.
| Country served | Name | Born | Died | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France |
Gourraud, Georges | 5 October 1900 | 18 October 2008 (108) | Last French World War I-Era veteran, Called up by the French Army on Armistice Day 1918. Lived in the Vendée.[30] |
| Kingdom of Italy |
Bisaro, Giobatta | 7 October 1900 | 7 March 2008 (107) | Last Italian World War I-Era veteran, Enlisted just after the end of the war. Lived in Dignano (Friuli, North Eastern Italy).[31] |
| United States | Matthews, Floyd Huston 'Skipper' | 3 February 1903 | 24 February 2008 (105) | Lived in Florence, Alabama; enlisted in Navy a month before the Treaty of Versailles, and so was still in training. Lived in the United States.[32] |
| Poland |
Salacki, Aleksander | 12 May 1904 | 5 April 2008 (103) | Last survivor of the Lwów Eaglets who fought in Lviv 1918-1919. Lived in Poland.[33] |
Totals - 22 veterans[]
- Verified veterans - 17
- Unverified veterans - 1
- World War I-Era veterans - 4
See also[]
External links[]
- Translated article & interview with Delfino Borroni, Italian veteran
- Last German World War I Veteran Believed to Have Died Article by David Crossland in Der Spiegel Online, 22 January 2008.
References[]
- ↑ Ganley, Elaine (2008-03-17). "Adieu to an oldest soldier". Philadelphia Daily News. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/national/20080318_Adieu_to_an_oldest_soldier.html?text=med. Retrieved 2008-08-15.[dead link]
- ↑ "Turkey loses Independence War vet". Today's Zaman. 2008-04-04. Archived from the original on 2008-04-04. http://web.archive.org/web/20080404141012/http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=138103. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ↑ "Delfino Borroni's state funeral". Il Giorno. 2008-10-29. http://ilgiorno.ilsole24ore.com/milano/2008/10/29/129046-addio_ultimo_reduce_della_grande_guerra.shtml. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
- ↑ Walzenbach, Nadine (2006-09-11). "Franz Künstler—oldest castle guide" (in German). Fränkische Nachrichten. http://www.fnweb.de/archiv/2006/m09/11/me/region/20060911_f0b1154001_24406.html. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
- ↑ Künstler's obituary (German)
- ↑ Ders Des Ders report, retrieved on 21 January 2008
- ↑ French World War I Veteran Cazenave Dies 20 January 2008[dead link]
- ↑ Hopquin, Benoît (2007-03-05). "Les Ders Des Ders" (in French). Le Monde. http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3208,36-708425@51-709148,0.html. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
- ↑ "Le dernier Poilu de 14-18 n'est pas mort" (in French). L'Histoire du jour. Le Depeche. 2008-06-19. http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2008/06/19/460271-Le-dernier-Poilu-de-14-18-n-est-pas-mort.html. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
- ↑ "Morto uno degli ultimi reduci della Grande Guerra" (in Italian). Il Giornale. http://www.ilgiornale.it/a.pic1?ID=304393. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
- ↑ "Ders des Ders report - France" (in French). http://dersdesders.free.fr/france.html. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
- ↑ France's final WWI veteran dies
- ↑ Kästner's death announcement, Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, 5 January 2008
- ↑ BBC Obituary 26 January 2008
- ↑ Crossland, David (2008-01-22). "Last German World War I Veteran Believed to Have Died". Spiegel Online. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jan/26/local/me-kaestner26. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
- ↑ "È morto Delfino Borroni, l'ultimo reduce italiano della Grande Guerra" (in Italian). La Gazello dello Sport. http://www.corriere.it/cronache/08_ottobre_26/borroni_morto_1dc9ba5e-a3a0-11dd-8d2c-00144f02aabc.shtml.
- ↑ "Italian WWI veteran dead at 109". ABC News. 2008-07-01. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/01/2290366.htm?section=justin. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
- ↑ "Domenico Chiarello: Italian veteran of the First World War". London: Times Online. 2008-07-09. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article4295081.ece. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
- ↑ Trt/Haber
- ↑ "Последний в мире ветеран Первой мировой живет в Донецке (In Russian)". 2008-02-22. http://novosti.dn.ua/details/58826/. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ↑ Mikhail Krichevsky obituary(In Russian)
- ↑ "Last Polish WWI veteran, 105, remembers his teenage soldiering". Sawf News. 2007-11-10. http://news.sawf.org/Lifestyle/44847.aspx. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
- ↑ "Ivy 107 done that". This is Kent. http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/news/Ivy-107/article-601388-detail/article.html. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
- ↑ Bingham, John (5 November 2008). "British First World War veteran dies days before 90th anniversary". London: Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3385719/British-First-World-War-Veteran-dies-days-before-90th-anniversary.html. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
- ↑ "Gladys Powers celebrates 109 years". Abbotsford Times. http://www.canada.com/abbotsfordtimes/news/story.html?id=323a799a-87f6-445c-8076-a639f4e7f53c. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
- ↑ Canada's oldest First World War vet dies
- ↑ Wither Hanover's Heroes? - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM
- ↑ Branch-Brioso, Karen (2008-02-06). "1 Known WWI Veteran Left After Bay Area Man Dies". Tampa Bay Online. http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/feb/06/1-known-wwi-veteran-left-after-sun-city-center-man/?news-breaking. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
- ↑ "World War I Veteran Harry Landis". United States Department of Veterans Affairs. http://www1.va.gov/opa/vafeature/Landis.asp. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ http://messaggeroveneto.repubblica.it/necrologie/541233 Notice of Giobatta Bisaro's death and funeral
- ↑ Notice of Floyd Matthews' death
- ↑ Lwów Eaglets
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The original article can be found at List of veterans of World War I who died in 2008 and the edit history here.