acooling08 Posted 25 July 2009 Posted 25 July 2009 The last British survivor of the World War I trenches, Harry Patch, has died at the age of 111. Mr Patch was conscripted into the Army aged 18 and fought in the Battle of Passchendaele at Ypres in 1917 in which more than 70,000 British soldiers died. He was raised in Coombe Down, near Bath, and had been living at a care home in Wells, Somerset. The oldest British World War I veteran is now Claude Choules who is aged 108 and lives in Australia. Henry Allingham, who served in the Royal Navy and the RAF in WWI, died at the age of 113 a week ago. Mr Patch's biographer Richard Emden said he passed away at 0850 BST on Saturday morning. A statement from the Fletcher House care home said: "It is with much sadness that we must announce the death of Mr Harry Patch on 25 July at the age of 111. "Funeral arrangements are being made in accordance with Mr Patch's wishes, and we wish to extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and the residents and staff of Fletcher House." Mr Patch served as a private at the Third Battle of Ypres - known as Passchendaele - from June to September 1917 when he was seriously injured by a shell explosion which killed three of his friends. 1st Allingham now Patch. Very very sad.
Salieri Posted 25 July 2009 Posted 25 July 2009 I guess it's sad, but he had a good innings to be fair.
Jay Posted 25 July 2009 Posted 25 July 2009 to have live through and carried the memories he has done for so many years must have been a terrible thing, I could never imagine what it must have been like in the trenches I have been to Ypes and Passchendaele it's a place that has a very eerie effect on you even 90 years later. The rows and rows of graves and names of dead an missing soldiers is almost unbelievible. The sights, smells and emotions carried for 90 years must have given him constant nightmares, I have seen interviews with him where he has been really emotional about losing his 3 best mates at the same time saying that his own Remembrance Day was 22 September and that he had paid his respects on this day since the war ended even though he couldn't speak about the war for over 80years. RIP Harry Patch a true hero
Guest Bilo Posted 25 July 2009 Posted 25 July 2009 So soon after Henry Allingham as well. RIP Harry, you were a true hero and experienced things that I'm not ashamed to say would have broken me and many of my generation.
MikeyT Posted 25 July 2009 Posted 25 July 2009 R.I.P. Harry. Bit more here as well. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8168691.stm If anyone hasn't read The Last Fighting Tommy, you should do so. One of my favorite books ever.
smudger63 Posted 25 July 2009 Posted 25 July 2009 I guess it's sad, but he had a good innings to be fair. Spoken like someone without a clue! Harry Patch was a hero, from a generation of heroes. R.I.P Harry, and thanks. We Will Remember Them.
MikeyT Posted 25 July 2009 Posted 25 July 2009 Spoken like someone without a clue!Harry Patch was a hero, from a generation of heroes. R.I.P Harry, and thanks. We Will Remember Them.
AoWW Posted 25 July 2009 Posted 25 July 2009 Horrifying and humbling to think what he has lived through. RIP.
Smudge Posted 25 July 2009 Posted 25 July 2009 Ouch.But on the other hand, it says that the life jackets were not inflated suggesting that they did not know they would crash so would death have been permanent? Also, if death was instant, they would still have shit themselves I guess with the rapid deceleration and seeing the sea outside I thought the same guy had died again... oopsRIP You really don't get this dying thing do you Dan?
Smudge Posted 25 July 2009 Posted 25 July 2009 Spoken like someone without a clue!Harry Patch was a hero, from a generation of heroes. R.I.P Harry, and thanks. We Will Remember Them. When my mother died at the age of 89 someone said that to me; I know they were trying to be kind but I didn't take it that way.
Salieri Posted 25 July 2009 Posted 25 July 2009 Spoken like someone without a clue!Harry Patch was a hero, from a generation of heroes.R.I.P Harry, and thanks. We Will Remember Them. I'm sorry but did i insult or demean the guy i any way? No. I wholeheartedly agree with the above sentiments but it IS fair to say he had a good innings. There were God knows how many who fought and died in the war(s). Then there were those who survived the war only to have (relatively) short lives thereafter. Harry lived to an extremely grand old age and fair play to him. If my post was taken as to being disrespectful, then it certainly wasn't meant that way.
DANGEROUS TIGER Posted 26 July 2009 Posted 26 July 2009 Having read so many books on the Western Front battles, along with the personal accounts of the men involved, I can only say "Thank God I never had to go through that living hell" To all who fought I say "thank you", and R.I.P.
Ultra Posted 26 July 2009 Posted 26 July 2009 Remembrance service planned for Westminster Abbey Apparently the Queen and the government will attend..
Flynny Posted 27 July 2009 Posted 27 July 2009 He worked on my University building in Bristol in his twenties, and that was finished in 1925 and is a huge gothic thing that looks far older. Staggering to think really.
Darkzzz_ Posted 27 July 2009 Posted 27 July 2009 Puts a lot of us to shame really what he went through during his long life. The word "hero" is banded about far to easy, this guy and the fallen deserve that tag.
MikeyT Posted 27 July 2009 Posted 27 July 2009 Having read so many books on the Western Front battles, along with the personal accounts of the men involved, I can only say "Thank God I never had to go through that living hell"To all who fought I say "thank you", and R.I.P. Totally agree. Well said. Puts a lot of us to shame really what he went through during his long life. The word "hero" is banded about far to easy, this guy and the fallen deserve that tag.
Jon the Hat Posted 27 July 2009 Posted 27 July 2009 My Grandfather was one of the lucky ones - he went over the top a number of times and lived to come home. But not to tell the tale. Like many of his generation, the war was the one thing you didn't talk about. I have huge respect for those like Harry who were able to talk about it, and can only hope that time lessened the pain somehow. RIP Harry. Last of a generation of heroes who faced true horror we can only imagine.
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