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Last male WWI veteran dies
The man believed to have been the last living male veteran of World War I has died in Perth aged 110.
British-born Claude Choules served in the Royal Navy during World War I and witnessed the scuttling of the German fleet at Scapa Flow.
Mr Choules was born in 1901 and signed up for the Great War at just 14 years of age.
After the war, he moved to Perth and joined the Australian Navy, working as a demolition officer at the Fremantle Harbour during World War II.
In 2009 he published his memoirs The Last of the Last, in which he credited his longevity to keeping his family close.
Mr Choules died in his sleep in a Perth nursing home overnight.
The only other surviving WWI veteran is believed to be Britain's Florence Green, who served with the Royal Air Force in a non-combat role and is now 110 years old.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...05/3208495.htm
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March 3, 2011
The last one of 70m: Claude fought to live another day at 110
A 110-year-old West Australian man believed to be the world's last surviving WWI combat veteran hated war and only marched in Anzac Day parades when he was ordered to, says his son.
Claude Choules is celebrating his 110th birthday with family and friends in Perth on Thursday.
He's the last known male survivor of more than 70 million military personnel during WWI, after American veteran Frank Buckles passed away on Sunday also aged 110.
The only other surviving WWI veteran is believed to be Britain's Florence Green, who served with the Royal Air Force in a non-combat role and is now aged 110.
Born in England in 1901, Mr Choules served with Britain's Royal Navy onboard the HMS Impregnable in 1916 at the age of 15.
He joined the battleship HMS Revenge in 1917 and witnessed the surrender of the German Fleet near Firth of Forth in Scotland in 1918.
Mr Choules moved to Fremantle where he was seconded to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in 1926.
He was a commissioning crew member of the HMAS Canberra and served with her until 1931 when he discharged from the RAN before rejoining as a torpedo and anti-submarine instructor in 1932.
As the acting torpedo officer at Fremantle in WWII, Mr Choules disposed of the first German mine to wash up on Australian soil during WWII, near Esperance, on WA's south coast.
He was also tasked with destroying harbour and oil storage tanks at the Fremantle port in case of a Japanese invasion.
Mr Choules remained in the RAN after WWII, spending his final working years at the Naval Dockyard Police and joining the crayfishing industry, at Safety Bay, south of Perth.
Mr Choules released his autobiography in 2009 titled The Last of the Last, depicting his childhood and move to Australia, as well as his times at war.
Mr Choules, who is now blind and almost completely deaf, now lives in a nursing home.
He and his wife, who passed away at the age of 98, had two daughters and a son.
Mr Choules also has 13 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
His son, Adrian Choules, told AAP Mr Choules was not excited about the milestone birthday or the attention he was receiving as the last surviving war combat veteran.
"He couldn't care less about his birthday. He's a celebrity now but that's only because everyone else has died," he said.
"He served in two wars but he hated war. He just saw it as a job.
"He never marched in an Anzac parade he wasn't ordered to."
Mr Choules said although his father was "special" to the family, he did not understand all the "celebrity" attention he was getting from the media.
"Someone's got to be the last man standing ... he's just an ordinary man," he said.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/the-l...#ixzz1LRWlkQh1
The man believed to have been the last living male veteran of World War I has died in Perth aged 110.
British-born Claude Choules served in the Royal Navy during World War I and witnessed the scuttling of the German fleet at Scapa Flow.
Mr Choules was born in 1901 and signed up for the Great War at just 14 years of age.
After the war, he moved to Perth and joined the Australian Navy, working as a demolition officer at the Fremantle Harbour during World War II.
In 2009 he published his memoirs The Last of the Last, in which he credited his longevity to keeping his family close.
Mr Choules died in his sleep in a Perth nursing home overnight.
The only other surviving WWI veteran is believed to be Britain's Florence Green, who served with the Royal Air Force in a non-combat role and is now 110 years old.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...05/3208495.htm
***************************************
March 3, 2011
The last one of 70m: Claude fought to live another day at 110
A 110-year-old West Australian man believed to be the world's last surviving WWI combat veteran hated war and only marched in Anzac Day parades when he was ordered to, says his son.
Claude Choules is celebrating his 110th birthday with family and friends in Perth on Thursday.
He's the last known male survivor of more than 70 million military personnel during WWI, after American veteran Frank Buckles passed away on Sunday also aged 110.
The only other surviving WWI veteran is believed to be Britain's Florence Green, who served with the Royal Air Force in a non-combat role and is now aged 110.
Born in England in 1901, Mr Choules served with Britain's Royal Navy onboard the HMS Impregnable in 1916 at the age of 15.
He joined the battleship HMS Revenge in 1917 and witnessed the surrender of the German Fleet near Firth of Forth in Scotland in 1918.
Mr Choules moved to Fremantle where he was seconded to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in 1926.
He was a commissioning crew member of the HMAS Canberra and served with her until 1931 when he discharged from the RAN before rejoining as a torpedo and anti-submarine instructor in 1932.
As the acting torpedo officer at Fremantle in WWII, Mr Choules disposed of the first German mine to wash up on Australian soil during WWII, near Esperance, on WA's south coast.
He was also tasked with destroying harbour and oil storage tanks at the Fremantle port in case of a Japanese invasion.
Mr Choules remained in the RAN after WWII, spending his final working years at the Naval Dockyard Police and joining the crayfishing industry, at Safety Bay, south of Perth.
Mr Choules released his autobiography in 2009 titled The Last of the Last, depicting his childhood and move to Australia, as well as his times at war.
Mr Choules, who is now blind and almost completely deaf, now lives in a nursing home.
He and his wife, who passed away at the age of 98, had two daughters and a son.
Mr Choules also has 13 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
His son, Adrian Choules, told AAP Mr Choules was not excited about the milestone birthday or the attention he was receiving as the last surviving war combat veteran.
"He couldn't care less about his birthday. He's a celebrity now but that's only because everyone else has died," he said.
"He served in two wars but he hated war. He just saw it as a job.
"He never marched in an Anzac parade he wasn't ordered to."
Mr Choules said although his father was "special" to the family, he did not understand all the "celebrity" attention he was getting from the media.
"Someone's got to be the last man standing ... he's just an ordinary man," he said.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/the-l...#ixzz1LRWlkQh1
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