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The last surviving British veteran of WWI passed away today at home. I thought at the least he deserved his own thread.
Here's an article & obituary that some things up better than I can
British first world war veteran Harry Patch dies at 111 | World news | guardian.co.uk
Harry Patch | First world war veteran | Obituary | World news | guardian.co.uk
RIP.
They shall grow not old as we who are left grow old ,
age shall not weary him nor the years forget
At the going down of the sun
And in the morning
we shall remember him
lest we forget.
Is there any of those diggers left now? We lost our last one, earlier this year.
There's an ancient prof icy around the last one from that era standing, from memory.
I saw an interesting report on the BBC about this. Makes you acutely aware of the passing of time and the fact that it waits for no one. He was the last man standing, but even the last man must fall. The last first hand British account of a particular time is gone.
He lived a long life, but I'm sure it went by in the blink of an eye.
R.I.P. hero and thank you for your service.
RIP.
WWI, to me at least, really feels like something from an entirely different era. I mean, obviously it is, but it feels like it was a lot longer ago that it actually was. This verse by Ezra Pound sums up my feelings reading WWI perfectly:
"There died a myriad,
And of the best, among them,
For an old bitch gone in the teeth,
For a botched civilization..."
Thats just amazing.Such a different era and mindset,will.Deserves the fullest respect.We are loosing our veterans by the thousands as the years fade by.....unfortunatly though, their are always more with every generation that seem to follow it their footsteps.
Hope he had a good life as well as it being long.
My grandad lost his olderst brother in the Great War in 1917. No war is nice but this always seemed particularly nasty, I think it was the old style of miltary leadership coupled with new weaponry which led to it being so brutal.
God Bless Harry and all the others on both sides who fell and survived this horrible war.
Amen to that.Quote:
Originally Posted by jamiebhoy
These guys from the past wars and todays present wars and battles for country are real men,these are the true meaning of the word man!
Massive repsect to the fallen and the ones still operating,God bless you all.
Your all legends in my eyes!!!:bow:<----me(adverage joe) REAL MAN------->:army: