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The following is a list of known surviving veterans of World War I (WWI) (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918). The total number of participating personnel is estimated by the Encyclopaedia Britannica at 65,038,810. There were approximately 9,750,103 military casualties during the conflict.

Veterans, for this purpose, are defined as people who were members of the armed forces of one of the combatant nations up to and including the date of the Armistice. Other WWI-era veterans are listed separately. This policy may vary from the policy in actual use in some countries.

The oldest living verified WWI veteran is 112-year-old Henry Allingham, born 6 June 1896. Emiliano Mercado del Toro of Puerto Rico (21 August 1891 – 24 January 2007), who died aged 115, is the oldest authenticated veteran, from any conflict, ever to have lived. On 27 May 2008, the last Central Powers' veteran, Franz Künstler of Austria-Hungary, died at the age of 107.

Verified veterans of World War I—7 veterans

On 27 June 2006, the British Government approved a National Memorial Service at Westminster Abbey to take place after the death of the last known WWI veteran. Similarly, on 21 November 2006, the Canadian House of Commons approved a state funeral for the last WWI veteran to have served in the Canadian forces to die. This will now go to John Babcock should he accept it. On 19 March 2008, Frank Buckles was approved for burial at Arlington National Cemetery upon his eventual death. Although John Campbell Ross is the last known Australian veteran, he did not see active service and the Australian state funeral was given for William Evan Allan on 25 October 2005.

Residence	Name	Date of Birth	Age	Nationality	Force served	Notes
Australia	Choules, Claude Stanley	3 March 1901	123	English	Royal Navy	Last sailor. Joined in 1916. Last witness to the scuttling of the fleet. Moved to Australia in 1926 and served with Royal Australian Navy in WWII. Lives in Perth, Western Australia.
Australia	Ross, John Campbell (Jack)	11 March 1899	125	Australian	Australian Army 1st AIF	Last Australian digger. Joined in 1918 as wireless operator but did not see action. Served in Home Guard in WWII. Australia's oldest man. Lives in Bendigo, Victoria.
United Kingdom	Allingham, Henry William	6 June 1896	128	English	12 Squadron RNAS (later RAF)	Last airman. Joined in 1915. Last witness to Battle of Jutland and Battle of the Somme. Europe's oldest man and oldest ever Englishman. Lives in Brighton, Sussex.
United Kingdom	Hughes, Netherwood (Ned)	12 June 1900	124	English	British Army 51st Manchester Regiment	Called up in 1918 as truck driver. Did not see action as he was still in training. Lives in Accrington, Lancashire.
United Kingdom	Patch, Henry John (Harry)	17 June 1898	126	English	British Army 7th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry	Called up in 1916. Last veteran to serve in the trenches and last to be wounded in action. Last survivor of Battle of Passchendaele. Fireman in WWII. Lives in Wells, Somerset.
United States	Babcock, John Henry Foster (Jack)	23 July 1900	124	Canadian	First 146th, CEF, then Boys Battalion	Last Canadian veteran. Eligible for state funeral. Joined up in 1916. Completed training in UK but did not see action due to age. Moved to US in 1924. Lives in Spokane, Washington.
United States	Buckles, Frank Woodruff	1 February 1901	123	American	United States Army 1st Fort Riley Casual Detachment	Last US doughboy. Eligible for burial at Arlington. Joined in 1917. Ambulance driver near Western Front. Held prisoner in WWII. Lives in Charles Town, West Virginia.

Unverified World War I veteran claims—1 veteran

These are claims that were included in the press, but have not been verified by a government-sanctioned body or actual records located. To be a claim there must be at least a citation.

Residence	Name	Date of Birth	Age	Nationality	Force served	Notes
United Kingdom	Terrey, Douglas (Doug)	27 June 1903	121	English	British Army Ordnance Corps	Claimed to have joined up in 1917 as despatch rider. Served in Home Guard in WWII. Lives in Southampton, Hampshire.

World War I-era veterans—2 veterans

Listed here are those who joined the armed services after the Armistice date, but before the Treaty of Versailles; or where there is debate on their join-date; or whose military service is sometimes viewed as outside the scope of WWI, but are considered WWI-era vets by the press or by their respective governments; or who served in a related conflict.

Residence	Name	Date of Birth	Age	Nationality	Force served	Notes
Poland	Kowalski, Józef	2 February 1900	124	Polish	Polish Army 22nd Regiment Ułanów	Polish-Soviet War veteran. Took part in September Campaign in WWII and later held in concentration camp. Poland's oldest man. Lives in Tursk, near Sulęcin.
United States	Rex, Robley H.	4 May 1901	123	American	United States Army First 5th, then 28th Infantry	Joined up in May 1919, he stated in December 2008 interview. Lives in Louisville, Kentucky.

World totals—10 veterans

• Verified claims of World War I and World War I Era: 9
  • World War I (Veterans who joined by Armistice Day): 7
  • World War I Era: 2
• Unverified claims: 1

See also

• List of last living war veterans
• Last surviving United States war veterans
• List of last surviving World War I veterans by country
• Surviving veterans of the Spanish Civil War
• List of notable last events

References

1. "Last WWI veteran to be honoured". BBC News. 2006-06-27. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
2. "First World War veterans don't want state funeral". CBC News. 2007-01-02. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
3. "Arlington Cemetery makes historic exception for World War I veteran". Salem News. 2008-04-08. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
4. "William Evan Allan: life of a boy sailor". Navy News. 2005-10-25. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
5. "World War I Veteran at UWA Art Show Opening". UWA Public Affairs. 2006-02-08. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
6. Booth, Gary (2002-05-13). "500 km by bike to demolish Albany". Navy News. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
7. "Last Aussie digger to fight in WWI dies". The Age. 2005-10-18. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
8. Turnbull, Jeff (2008-03-11). "Oldest Digger celebrates turning 109". news.com.au. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
9. Smith, David (2006-10-29). "Great War foes embrace as friends". The Observer. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
10. Mccaffrey, Julie (2006-10-30). "Old Enemies.. New Friends". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
11. Kenyon, Lisa (2008-06-20). "Old Ned's still in top gear for his 108th milestone". Accrington Observer. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
12. Bingham, John (2008-11-20). "'New' First World War veteran comes to light through internet". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
13. "WWI veteran celebrates 108 years". BBC Online News. 2006-10-30. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
14. "Veteran, 109, revisits WWI trench". BBC Online News. 2007-07-29. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
15. Patch, Harry (2007). The Last Fighting Tommy. London: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-0-7475-9115-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
16. "Lest We Forget". CBC News. 2006-11-06. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
17. "Canada's last WW1 vet gets his citizenship back". CBC News. 2008-05-09.
18. "Oldest Living Heroes Remembered". CBS News. 2006-11-11. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
19. Dean Reynolds and Elizabeth Stuart (2006-12-02). "Last WWI Veterans Get Their Due". ABC News. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
20. "Army remembers old soldier Doug". Southern Daily Echo. 2003-06-27. Retrieved 2008-10-02.
21. "105th birthday - Mr Douglas Terrey". Marchwood Parish Council. 28-09-08. Retrieved 18-11-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
22. "Pan Józef ma 107 lat i czuje się znakomicie" (in Polish). Wirtualna Polska. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
23. "Niech żyje 200 lat!" (in Polish). Radio Zachód S.A. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
24. Stapleton, Ellen R. (2003-11-09). "Ky.'s oldest veteran, 102, still devoted to service". The Enquirer. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
25. Associated Press. "WWI Vets Gallery". CNN. Retrieved 2007-01-22.

External links

• The Great War Society
• The Western Front Association – UK branch
• The Western Front Association – US branch
• The Great War Primary Documents Archive
• Public Radio Exchange (PRX) Walter Cronkite interviews some last surviving veterans of WWI
• Article about the remaining US veterans
• World War One "The Great War"
• Article about Frank Buckles, the last US WWI vet to see action
• Harry Patch at Ypres

Template:Lists of WWI veteran deaths

• Centenarians
• Lists of military personnel
• People of World War I
• World War I veterans
• Living people
• World War I by country
• Military personnel of World War I
• United States Department of Defense lists