World War II Veterans

[Ulitzer95 10,943]

Didn't really know where to post this one.

Times death notice for British soldier and courtier Sir Simon Bland (wiki), aged 98.

Fought with the Scots Guard during WWII, was a military advisor during the Malayan Emergency, then was private secretary to both Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Prince William of Gloucester, before performing the same role for Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester and his mother Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester.

[Ulitzer95 10,943]

Telegraph obit for Stella “Jaye” Edwards, British pilot of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), who has died just short of turning 104.

 

There were 1320 ATA pilots. 168 were females. Article suggests she was the last British ATA pilot, and the last female one.

[Thatcher 2,123]

Major John Errington, Dunkirk veteran, has died shortly after turning 104. 
 

The BBC covered his story last month.

[One shot Paddy 1,132]

On 16/08/2022 at 19:36, 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?

 

Well the first guess was way off so it's looking like the "private Pike" instead.

With the death of the Queen we have lost the last head of state who was also a veteran of the war, today is historically significant no matter what your nationality or political views are.

May she rest in a well deserved peace!

[Ulitzer95 10,943]

On 26/07/2022 at 09:49, Ulitzer95 said:

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.

Telegraph obit for Dennis B. Wilson.

[arghton 6,114]

Shabsa Mashkautsan, WWII Hero of the Soviet Union dead at 98 according to Russian sites.

His award description:

On April 29, 1945, near Meningsee (near Kummersdorf) in a Berlin suburb, a young sergeant with the 530th Tank Destroyer Regiment carried on a battle with 200 Germans and two self-propelled guns... Twice he changed positions under enemy fire, set fire to one self-propelled gun, then the second, which had come right up to his position. After putting the guns out of commission, Sergeant Mashkautsan began firing at the infantry. As a result he killed 50 soldiers and officers by gunfire and 4 by pistol fire.

The enemy hurled its tanks and armored carriers with infantry against this section. Again he opened fire; with two shells Mashkautsan hit a tank and right after that one of the armored carriers.

The second armored carrier rolled toward the gun, and when it was 2 meters from it, Mashkautsan hurled a grenade and then, in spite of a contusion, again opened fire on the enemy. More than 200 dead Germans were left in the field."

[Gisooo 2,527]

Dean Caswell (Wiki), United States Marine Corps flying ace during the World War II dead at 100

[The Immortal 528]

15 hours ago, Gisooo said:

Dean Caswell (Wiki), United States Marine Corps flying ace during the World War II dead at 100

At first I was confused by this because I could have sworn this guy died recently.

 

Then I realized that it was U.S Navy flying ace Dean Laird that died at the age of 101 this August and to make this coincidence even wilder, another notable U.S WWII veteran by the name of Dean Ladd, who had served in the Marine Corps, witnessed several battles, wrote a book about his experiences in the war and was also believed to be the oldest living U.S Marine Corps veteran at the time of his death, had died in August, also at the age 101 years old.

[arghton 6,114]

On 04/11/2021 at 11:32, arghton said:

https://news.yahoo.com/meet-104-old-chen-ping-160615001.html

A new "last living" member of the Flying Tigers has emerged, 104-year old Chen Ping Ching.

There's another one too, 98-year-old George Woo/Ng Kok Yee:

https://news.yahoo.com/meet-98-old-george-woo-192811439.html

[arghton 6,114]

On 18/09/2021 at 15:01, arghton said:

A while ago I also found out that there's a living Finnish Tatar WWII veteran:

https://sotaveteraanit.fi/100-vuotta-tayttava-osman-abdrahim-jos-olisin-kerennyt-telttaan-olisin-ollut-ihan-reikia-taynna-kotoa-lahetetty-teepaketti-pelasti-espoolaisveteraanin-hengen/

Osman Abdrahim (1921-) was one of the 177 Finnish Tatars who fought in WWII and likely the last one alive. Still in a great condition and can walk without a stick.

Osman Abdrahim is still alive at 101. Here a week ago with three other WWII vets , ages 100 to 101 (Abdrahim is the guy with the glasses):

 

Also read a while ago that there are around 10-15 veterans of the Finnish Infantry Regiment 200 still living. (From wikipedia: unit in the Finnish army during World War II made up mostly of Estonian volunteers, who preferred to fight against the Soviet Union in the ranks of the Finnish army instead of the armed forces of Germany)

Among the living ones are Taavi Kaups (96, lives in the US), Erich Anton (96), Lembit Kaselaan (98), Jaanus Jahilu and Artur Roopalu (both 97)

[arghton 6,114]

Vladimir Kuts, possibly the only Soviet citizen to serve in both the Soviet Army and the US Army during WWII, dead according to Wikipedia and TASS.

[The Immortal 528]

On 26/07/2022 at 11:02, TheSpinosaurus said:

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.

Cleatus Lebow dead. Harold Bray is the last survivor of the USS Indianapolis now.

[arghton 6,114]

Jack Jennings, last survivor of the Burma Railway is still alive at 103. Search function gives nothing but BBC made an article about him this year:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-60697194

[Paul Bearer 5,614]

Ted Edwards (97)

WREXHAM'S last surviving D-Day Veteran of Normandy has died aged 97 years old.

The medals of Ted Edwards, who grew up in Rhostyllen, are numerous and include the French Legion of Honour award, the highest French Order of Merit.

Mr Edwards served with the Green Howards and landed on Normandy beach during the second World War.

He was called up to help in the war when he was just 18 and trained with the Yorkshire regiment and went into the Royal Army Service Corps as an engineer and landed in Normandy on day three.

[gcreptile 10,211]

On 27/08/2021 at 13:19, gcreptile said:

Also, another Bletchley Girl of mine, Jean Pitt-Lewis, mentioned in this church letter, don't know what that means though: https://stmarysrcchepstow.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Monmouth-Newsletter-3th-November-2019.pdf

Well, Jean Pitt-Lewis apparently died on August 21st at age 97, if I read the Google snippet of the Times list right:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/births-marriages-and-deaths-september-9-2022-ltgxt7vtf

 

My longlist now has one Bletchley girl left, Lady Marion Body.

[Ulitzer95 10,943]

On 19/11/2021 at 11:52, Ulitzer95 said:

I'm guessing that you'll probably be aware of this but this is by no means accurate. These are only 5 of the oldest that we're aware of.

The last WWI veteran, Florence Green, died 10 years ago this coming February. In the years preceding her death there was a lot of hunting for new names. Around 2005 we still had several hundred First World War vets left, all of whom were centenarians, and just as soon as you thought you had the oldest sussed out, new names came forward. The same drive of interest in WWII veterans and measuring their stats has barely started, and only in the U.S. it would seem. In 5–10 years from now we will see record keeping for # of vets, oldest vets etc. 

This will interest you. It's the estimated # of veterans in the U.S. (including by state) and it's updated every autumn. There are 240,000 in the U.S. alone as of 2021. By 2025 it will be about 65,000.

The National WWII Museum updated their page on 30th September for 2022 U.S. WWII veteran numbers.

There were 240,329 living on September 30, 2021.
As of September 30, 2022 there are 167,284 living.

This means that 73,045 died in the space of the last year.
It's estimated that 67,700 will die from September 30, 2022 to September 30, 2023.

[Ulitzer95 10,943]

Times death notice for Joyce Aylard (wiki), aged 97, codebreaker at Bletchley Park during WWII.


 

Spoiler

AYLARD Joyce (née Baker) died peacefully on 16th October 2022, aged 97. A much-loved wife, mother, aunt, grandmother and great-grandmother. A funeral service for her friends and family will be held at St Mary’s Church, Monken Hadley, Barnet, on 2nd November 2022 at 12.30pm. Family committal afterwards. Refreshments at West Lodge Park, Cockfosters Road, Enfield. Family flowers only please but donations to WaterAid are welcome.

Just four surviving Bletchley Park WRENs and codebreakers with Wiki pages now:

Ruth Bourne (wiki, b. 1926)
Phyllis Dalton MBE (wiki, b. 1925)
Eleanor Ireland (wiki, b. 1926)
Betty Webb MBE (wiki, b. 1923)

I'd say each of them will get a QO, so worthy DDP material for next year.

There will be a few others without Wiki pages also.

[arghton 6,114]

Andrey Titenko, oldest living Hero of the Soviet Union, dead at 103 according to TASS. Previously known as Andrey Titanko on Wikipedia and the Living Centenarians list.

On 18 March 1945, during the East Prussian offensive, Titenko served as the commander of a battery of 45 mm anti-tank guns within the 6th Red Banner Rifle Regiment. He distinguished himself during a battle for the fortified stronghold at the town of Deutsch Thierau in Königsberg. Bursting the guns, calculation was cut off from the rifle units. Having organized a perimeter defense, the five-man gun crew under his command managed to repel the attack by two platoons of German infantry. They killed 80 enemy soldiers and destroyed four machine gun emplacements.

 

Not sure who the new oldest living Hero of the Soviet Union is, but could be WWII pilot, Colonel General, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force of the Soviet Union 1980-1986 Vasily Reshetnikov who'll be 103 next month.

 

Edit: Reshetnikov probably is the oldest one now. Colonel General Ivan Gaidaenko is a bit older but as far as I know isn't a Hero of the Soviet Union. 

[chel 316]

Grigory Ovsienko, a Great Patriotic War veteran, died in Karachay-Cherkessia. He was 107 years old.

https://tass.ru/obschestvo/16208123/amp

 

Video (2019) 104th birthday greetings - Local TV Karachay-Cherkessia

http://youtu.be/8pTuR-GdwAQ

 

Photo (2016) Grigory Pavlovich Ovsienko and his wife Olga Ivanovna, married for over 70 years.

[chel 316]

Hero of the Soviet Union, the last hero of Shaimuratov's cavalry division, Georgy Fedorovich Platonov, passed away on 16 October at the age of 99.

https://tass.ru/obschestvo/16068741/amp

 

The biography

https://warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=176

 

Interview (2014)

https://www.vzsar.ru/special/2014/05/08/s-vremenem-na-ty.html

 

[arghton 6,114]

Antti Luukkonen, Finnish WWII vet and at the time of his death one of the oldest living men in Finland, dead at 105. One of those vets often interviewed by media. There are two to four older, including two unidentified men born in 1914 and 1915 who might or might not be alive

 

Mentioning Eero Blåfield, 101-year-old WWII vet, HIFK superfan, oldest member of the Blåfield noble family who I remember was in the news once over a decade ago due to his senior badminton career. Looks quite frail now

[I.R.Baboon 206]

Rudi Hemmes (99) has died. He was one of the last living Engelandvaarders , the men and women who tried to escape from occupied The Netherlands to England. Only about 1 in 10 survived the trip. You might remember the story from Paul Verhoevens Soldier of Orange .

 

They they stopped with their yearly reunions in 2018 because there were only around 10 of them left and I've found quite a few obituaries of Engelandvaarders since then.  (Bram Grisnigt, Rinus Zuidijk and Charles Bartelings died in 2019, Eddy Jonker and Jaap Hinderink died in 2020 and Jan Staal died in 2021)

 

Looks like Ellis Brandon, Bernard Uiling and Leo Hendrikx are the only ones still alive.

[ThereWillBeDeaths7 593]

55 minutes ago, I.R.Baboon said:

Rudi Hemmes (99) has died. 

...

Hemmes is the man standing center of the picture, to the right of Princess Beatrix and to the left of Ellis Brandon. At 95 he still looked quite a lot better than most of the others attending, and in years after still occasionally gave interviews around 4/5 May, the national days of war remembrance and celebration. He's lived to a grand old age but still sad to see him go as one of the more known surviving Dutch veterans of the Second World War.

[chel 316]

Ivan Dashko, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, died at the age of 96 in Mineralnye Vody. He was 15 in 1941, but was called up to the labour front. 

In 1943, Dashko was conscripted into the railway troops.

 

newstracker.ru

 

Biography, in interviews with schoolgirls (2018)

Biography, on his 95th birthday (2021)

 

Foto: Ivan Dashko at the Holocaust Memorial in Mineralnye Vody (7 September 2022)

[chel 316]

The website of the online publication "Witness 24" of the city of Berdsk (Novosibirsk region) has two obituaries about veterans in 2022. Both are accompanied by interviews.

 

On 26 January, Zoya Knyazeva, a former nurse, passed away at the age of 103.

 

On 7 November Maria Levina, who was a frontline driver and later served in the Floodlight battalion, passed away at the age of 100.