World War I veteran dies aged 108

[HURAKAN]

World War I veteran dies aged 108

Sydney Maurice Lucas on being called up in 1918 - Black and white footage courtesy of Imperial War Museum

One of the five remaining veterans of World War I has died at the age of 108, it has been announced.

Sydney Maurice Lucas was born in Leicester on 21 September 1900. He was among the last batch of conscripts to be called up in 1918.

The Armistice meant he escaped the horror of the trenches but went on to serve in World War II.

He died on 4 November in his home town near Melbourne in Australia where he moved in 1928.

He was just 17 when he was drafted into the Sherwood Foresters in August 1918.

Better life

He was trained in Derby and then Catterick in Yorkshire but when the war ended he was sent home before he had to leave for France.

In 1928 he, like many other Britons, emigrated to Australia in search of a better life.

In June 1940 he volunteered for the Australian army and was posted to a machine gun company.

He sailed to Palestine where Australian forces were being prepared to travel to Greece which had been invaded by German and Italian troops.

Anzac service

But, he was again destined not to see active service after an attack of appendicitis prevented him travelling with his battalion which left without him in April 1941.

He returned to Australia on board the liner Queen Mary, as part of an operation guarding Italian and German prisoners of war and was discharged from the army in November 1941, on the grounds of ill health.

For many years he led the local Anzac Day parade in his home town on the Mornington Peninsula near Melbourne.

He attributed his long life to a moderate consumption of alcohol.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/u ... 712943.stm

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Thanks for your service to the world. I find interesting that every centennial attributes something different to their longevity.

[coriolis]

wow. I wondered if there were still any WWI vets still alive. That's amazing.

[AJC3]

wow. I wondered if there were still any WWI vets still alive. That's amazing.

There are only 10 left alive according to wikipedia. 2 live in the U.S., but only one of them served in the U.S. military...the other one served for the Canadian armed forces.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surviving_ ... orld_War_I

On October 26, Delfino Borroni, the last Italian and Alpine Front veteran of World War I, died at 110.
On August 15, Gladys Powers, the last female veteran of World War I, died at 109.
On June 27, Francesco Domenico Chiarello, the last soldier to see action in both World Wars, died at 109.
On May 27, Franz Künstler, the last Central Powers combatant of World War I, died at 107.

There are several more entries pertaining to the passing of the last several WWI veterans at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_no ... ast_events

It's also interesting (although not at all surprising) to note how quickly the number of WWI vets has dwindled since 2000. At the beginning of 2000, there were more than 1500 (1520 to be exact) veterans of WWI still alive. Since then...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_o ... ed_in_2000 (478 died, 1042 remaining)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_o ... ed_in_2001 (309 died, 733 remaining)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_o ... ed_in_2002 (200 died, 533 remaining)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_o ... ed_in_2003 (161 died, 372 remaining)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_o ... ed_in_2004 (166 died, 206 remaining)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_o ... ed_in_2005 (96 died, 110 remaining)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_o ... ed_in_2006 (52 died, 58 remaining)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_o ... ed_in_2007 (35 died, 23 remaining)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_o ... ed_in_2008 (13 died, 10 remaining)

Truly the passing of an era is almost at hand.

[Cryomaniac]

There are 4 British veterans left. One of them (Henry Allingham) is 112 years old.

Apparently the last British veteran to die will be given a state funeral.

[somethingfunny]

I believe that after the last of the WWII/Holocaust generation passes on, the next big war will ramp up quite quickly....

[mf_dolphin]

Rest in Peace soldier!