World War II Veterans

[alt obits guy 3,371]

Joseph Goulet, who landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France during D-Day, has died. He was 99.

 

https://apnews.com/article/france-veterans-new-hampshire-massachusetts-34521507f6f2dc7109c793490d557a2d

[Gisooo 3,382]

Polish World War II combatant and community activist Anna Jakubowska "Paulinka" (Wiki) dead at 95

 

She was a member of the Chapter of the Order of Polonia Restituta and participant of Warsaw Uprising

 

 

[maryportfuncity 10,658]

John Hemingway, 103 today - last of The Few

 

 

 

[alt obits guy 3,371]

Otha Compton Jr., the last living member of the USS John Hood, has died. He was 100.

 

https://www.wboy.com/news/harrison/last-member-of-uss-john-hood-passes-at-100/

 

[The Immortal 636]

On 04/05/2022 at 20:18, Sir Creep said:

https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2022-04-26/merrills-marauders-obituary-raleigh-nayes-us-army-world-war-ii-5811964.html

Obit for Raleigh Nayes.

“Three of the other remaining Marauders were presented their Congressional Gold Medals this month: Bob Passanisi, 97, in New York; Gilbert Howland, 99, in New Jersey; and Russell Hamler, 97, in Pennsylvania.”

 

So there’s TWO of the three names who remain.  The other is current oldest Army Ranger Gabriel Kinney, 101, from Alabama.

SC

Gilbert Howland died not long after this post https://www.stripes.com/veterans/obituaries/2022-05-23/merrills-marauders-gilbert-howland-obituary-6106656.html. Russell Hamler and Gabriel Kinney are the only ones left of the Merrill's Marauders now.

 

Another crew that's down to two is that of the USS Indianapolis, with Harold Bray (94/95) and Cleatus Lebow (98) the only living survivors.

[Ulitzer95 12,661]

Dennis B. Wilson (wiki), probably Britain’s last living WWII poet, died on 28 June, 3 days after his 101st birthday.

 

I’d have expected a Telegraph obit by now but I suppose they’re just unaware of his passing.

[arghton 6,771]

On 16/09/2021 at 23:40, arghton said:

16th of November 2021 additions:

 

Carlos Garduño Nuñez (1919-2022) Last surviving Aztec Eagles pilot.

Max Gilbert (1921-) Last Ambon Island POW camp survivor.

Ebou Janha (ca. 1919-) Last surviving veteran of the 1 Gambia Regiment.

-----

Ebou Janha, last surviving WWII vet of the 1 Gambia Regiment died earlier this month at 102:

Despite the Al Jazeera article, seems he didn't even get any local obits. I wonder if "Ghana's Tom Moore" Joseph Ashiteye Hammond is still alive. 

[time 8,626]

Another Navajo code talker, Samuel Sandoval, has died. He was 98. ABC claims three survive (which tallies with earlier reports) - Peter MacDonald, John Kinsel Sr. and Thomas H. Begay.

[time 8,626]

Jaak Daemen, last veteran of the Belgian SAS has died aged 97.

 

The Belgian SAS Squadron, more correctly the 5th SAS Squadron was formed in 1944, comprising entirely Belgian volunteers, to perform acts of sabotage and gather intelligence behind enemy lines. They were transferred from the British Army to The Belgian Army at the conclusion of the war, becoming the 1st Regiment of Parachutists.

 

 

[arghton 6,771]

Brant Robinson, New Zealand's last ANZAC veteran of the Battle of Crete, POW for four years and possibly the last veteran of the Battle of Crete, dead at 104.

[TheKeysOfMarinus 390]

I’m sure this has come up before but do you think, in Britain, we’ll have a clear last surviving fighting participant of the British WWII effort when the times comes, like Harry Patch? I’m thinking the lines will be so blurry that the media will probably call a lot of people the last. 

[The Immortal 636]

On 14/08/2022 at 20:05, TheKeysOfMarinus said:

I’m sure this has come up before but do you think, in Britain, we’ll have a clear last surviving fighting participant of the British WWII effort when the times comes, like Harry Patch? I’m thinking the lines will be so blurry that the media will probably call a lot of people the last. 

I'd probably distinguish them by branch of service like what Wikipedia did with the last surviving WWI veterans.

 

So the last surviving British Army veteran of WWII, last surviving Royal Navy veteran of WWII, last surviving Royal Air Force veteran of WWII, last surviving British combatant of WWII and the last British survivor of WWII.

 

Though it's going to be a while before we get to this stage since we will definitely be seeing a couple of WWII veterans living to their supercentenarian years.

[maryportfuncity 10,658]

51 minutes ago, TheSpinosaurus said:

I'd probably distinguish them by branch of service like what Wikipedia did with the last surviving WWI veterans.

 

So the last surviving British Army veteran of WWII, last surviving Royal Navy veteran of WWII, last surviving Royal Air Force veteran of WWII, last surviving British combatant of WWII and the last British survivor of WWII.

 

Though it's going to be a while before we get to this stage since we will definitely be seeing a couple of WWII veterans living to their supercentenarian years.

 

 

So, a couple of guesses here - the last surviving veteran, like WW1 may well be a woman in uniform based on a British facility. The last combatent may well prove to be someone who isn't British (for example, the last of "The Few" is Irish).

[Sir Creep 7,070]

2 hours ago, maryportfuncity said:

 

 

So, a couple of guesses here - the last surviving veteran, like WW1 may well be a woman in uniform based on a British facility. The last combatent may well prove to be someone who isn't British (for example, the last of "The Few" is Irish).

Regardless they should die in 2029-2030 as I’m sure I posted last time this discussion took place.  

[TheKeysOfMarinus 390]

2 hours ago, Sir Creep said:

Regardless they should die in 2029-2030 as I’m sure I posted last time this discussion took place.  

I think it may be a bit later. Won’t it mostly likely be a supercentenarian born around the middle of the 20s? 

[Joey Russ 7,229]

29 minutes ago, TheKeysOfMarinus said:

I think it may be a bit later. Won’t it mostly likely be a supercentenarian born around the middle of the 20s? 

The youngest fighters were probably born in 1927 given that the youngest fighters were probably 18 (although maybe some countries were even younger that I’m not aware about) so 2039 - 2040 is a bit more accurate 

[whoismakoto 330]

16 minutes ago, Joey Russ said:

The youngest fighters were probably born in 1927 given that the youngest fighters were probably 18 (although maybe some countries were even younger that I’m not aware about) so 2039 - 2040 is a bit more accurate 

If they are considered to be war veterans, there were some children who participated in the War. The Hitler Youth is best known. Some Boy Scouts in other countries also engaged in the defense and resistance in their countries. Actress Neale Adams was involved with Filipino guerilla units as a teenager. The Himeyuri Girls which is a group of Japanese girls aged 13-19 trained to be nurses and were deployed on military hospital caves during the Battle of Okinawa. There are even some reports that some soldiers lying about their age to get enlisted.

[arrowsmith 448]

1 hour ago, Joey Russ said:

The youngest fighters were probably born in 1927 given that the youngest fighters were probably 18 (although maybe some countries were even younger that I’m not aware about) so 2039 - 2040 is a bit more accurate 

You are quite correct. Also too be considered, a decent number of teenagers lied about their age in order to enlist. In the US we have combat veterans born later than 1927, I would imagine the same is true in the UK. 

[One shot Paddy 1,206]

10 hours ago, maryportfuncity said:

 

 

 the last surviving veteran, like WW1 may well be a woman in uniform based on a British facility. 

 

QEII?

On a more serious note how about a spotty 15 year old who joined the Home Guard in August/September 1944?

 

[maryportfuncity 10,658]

3 hours ago, One shot Paddy said:

 

QEII?

On a more serious note how about a spotty 15 year old who joined the Home Guard in August/September 1944?

 

 

 

What, you know that spotty kid, or you're just making a point, because that'd be a decent shout.

[arghton 6,771]

7 hours ago, whoismakoto said:

If they are considered to be war veterans, there were some children who participated in the War. The Hitler Youth is best known. Some Boy Scouts in other countries also engaged in the defense and resistance in their countries. Actress Neale Adams was involved with Filipino guerilla units as a teenager. The Himeyuri Girls which is a group of Japanese girls aged 13-19 trained to be nurses and were deployed on military hospital caves during the Battle of Okinawa. There are even some reports that some soldiers lying about their age to get enlisted.

Former Finnish Minister of Defence Elisabeth Rehn, born 1935, was a member of the youth wing of auxiliary paramilitary Lotta Svärd from 1943 to 1944 at age 8-9. Similar cases some people will call "veterans" from around the world will probably still be around in the 2040s.

[arrowsmith 448]

1 hour ago, arghton said:

Former Finnish Minister of Defence Elisabeth Rehn, born 1935, was a member of the youth wing of auxiliary paramilitary Lotta Svärd from 1943 to 1944 at age 8-9. Similar cases some people will call "veterans" from around the world will probably still be around in the 2040s.

Agreed but at some point there will have to be a distinction made between uniformed veterans vs partisans/resistance fighters. There will claimants to the latter long after the last verifiable veteran dies.  

[MortalCaso 1,630]

A bit early for this conversation, no?

 

We still have people alive from the 1900-1910 time period....

 

*granted all known dead before 1904*

 

Spanish Civil War participants will die out first. That's more interesting to me currently IMO

[maryportfuncity 10,658]

7 hours ago, MortalCaso said:

A bit early for this conversation, no?

 

We still have people alive from the 1900-1910 time period....

 

*granted all known dead before 1904*

 

Spanish Civil War participants will die out first. That's more interesting to me currently IMO

 

Re the Spanish veterans going first, you've taken into account fuel prices, the age of the British veterans and that horrible heat/eat dilemma, right? 

 

The Spanish largely get warm winters and some still live in communities that respect the elderly. 

 

 

 

[One shot Paddy 1,206]

9 hours ago, maryportfuncity said:

 

 

What, you know that spotty kid, or you're just making a point, because that'd be a decent shout.

Well, I did know one who retired from the army in the mid 80s as a Company Sargent Major, but he died a couple of years ago, so more of the decent shout as there are bound to be others.