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List of last surviving veterans of military insurgencies and wars

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This a chronological list of the last surviving veterans of military insurgencies, conflicts and wars around the world. The listed wars span from the 13th century BC to the beginning of World War II. Most last survivors of particular campaigns or wars were junior officers or soldiers/naval ratings of non-commissioned rank in the early years of their service careers at the time.

Contents

Classical antiquity

  • Ramesses II (1303–1213 BC) – Egyptian Pharaoh who, as a young man, fought many battles with the Hittites and Shardana pirates and died aged 90.
  • Aristodemus of Sparta (c. 530–479 BC) – The "Coward of Thermopylae", who was the only Spartan to survive the Battle of Thermopylae.
  • Marcus Valerius Corvus (370 BC?–270 BC) – Led the Roman army in the First Samnite War and reputedly lived to the age of 100.
  • King Masinissa (c. 238 BC–c. 148 BC) – Led the Numidians during the Second Punic War and died at the age of 90.

    • Middle Ages

  • Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester (1040–1118) – Last of the Norman noblemen proven to have fought alongside William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings.

    • Early modern period

    These cases, particularly with respect to the ages claimed by the veterans, cannot be verified as it was common in pre-industrialised societies for elders to exaggerate their age.

  • Anton Grolekofsky (1671/1672?–1785) – Polish soldier who lived in Sweden. Claimed to have fought in the Nine Years' War, Russo-Swedish War (1741–43) and Polish-Swedish War.
  • Andreas Nielsen (1660?–1782) – Norwegian soldier. Claimed to be the last Scanian War veteran, to have had a long military career and seen many battles.
  • Christian Jacobsen Drakenberg (1626?–1772) – Norwegian sailor. Claimed to have fought for Frederick III of Denmark in the Dano-Swedish War (1657–58) and again from 1675 to 1681 in the Scanian War.

    • English Civil War (1642–51)

  • William Hiseland (1620?–1732) – Wiltshire native. Fought for royalists in this war, Williamite War in Ireland and War of the Spanish Succession. Last survivor of Battle of Edgehill. Retired with rank of sergeant. For 80-year service to the king, he became one of the earliest admitted to Royal Hospital Chelsea.

    • First Anglo-Dutch War (1652–54)

  • Richard Haddock (1629–1714) – Royal Navy.

    • Great Northern War (1700–21)

  • Petro Kalnyshevsky (1691?–1803) – Last of the Zaporozhian Host. Also fought in 1735–39 and 1768–74 Russo-Turkish Wars (by which time he was an Ataman).

    • War of the Spanish Succession (1701–14)

  • Ambrose Bennett (or Tennant) (1693/1694?-1800) - served at the Battle of Malplaquet and reputedly died at the age of 106.

    • Jacobite risings (1719–45)

  • Peter Grant (1714?–1824) – Scottish Jacobite Rebel. Fought at Culloden, Falkirk Muir and Prestonpans.
  • George Browne (1698–1792) – Irish nobleman. Supported Old Pretender. Later became mercenary in Russian army.

    • War of the Polish Succession (1733–38)

  • Jean Thurel (1698?–1807) – Died in France. Also served in the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. Known as "oldest soldier of Europe."

    • Russo-Turkish wars (1735–74)

  • Petro Kalnyshevsky (1691?–1803) – Last of the Zaporozhian Host and last known living veteran of the Great Northern War. Fought in the 1735–39 and 1768–74 Russo-Turkish Wars (by which time he was an Ataman).

    • War of the Austrian Succession (1740–48)

  • Jean Thurel (1698?–1807) – Died in France. Also served in the War of the Polish Succession, the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. Known as "oldest soldier of Europe."

    • French and Indian War (1754–63)

  • Jonathan Benjamin (1738–1841) – Also fought in American Revolutionary War. Settled in Granville, Ohio in 1802.
  • Robert Abercromby of Airthrey (1740–1827) – Died in Great Britain.
  • Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain Chartier de Lotbinière (1748–1822) – Died in Montreal, Quebec, British Empire.
  • James Thompson (1733–1830) – Engineer in Frasers Highlanders. Settled in Quebec City.

    • Seven Years' War (1754–63)

  • Johann Heinrich Behrens (1735?–1844) – Died in Germany.
  • Ezekiel Blackmarr (1742–1841) – Britain. Born in the American colonies. Enlisted in British forces and was their last survivor of the Battle of Havana (1762)
  • Paul François de Quelen de la Vauguyon (1746–1828) – Died in France.
  • Henry Luttrell, 2nd Earl of Carhampton (1743–1821) – Died in Britain.

    • American Revolutionary War (1775–83)

  • Daniel Bakeman (1759–1869) – Alleged veteran. Awarded pension via Congress, though no support of service has been located.
  • John Gray (1764–1868) – Last verifiable veteran although period of service was too short for him for pension qualification.|-
  • Barnabas Cochran (1758–1864) – Pennsylvania State Militia. Longest living verified veteran.
  • Samuel Downing (1764–1867)
  • Lemuel Cook (1759–1866) – Last official veteran; honorable discharge signed by George Washington.

    • French Revolution (1789–99)

  • Nicolas Savin (1768?–1894) – Enlisted in 2nd Regiment of Hussars in 1798. 1768 figure proclaims he was approximately 126 at time of death. Later served under Napoleon and was awarded the Legion d'Honneur.
  • Giovanni Battista Campanella (1776?–1884) – France. Served in Italy during the French Revolutionary Wars and later in the 1812 Russian campaign.
  • Yves Couédic (1774?–1883) – France. Fought in the Vendée in 1793
  • Pierre Petit (1779–1882) – France. Served in the French invasion of Egypt
  • Arthur Dardenne (1776–1872) – France. Last surviving person to have taken part in the Storming of the Bastille.

    • Irish Rebellion of 1798

  • William Kinsella (1775–1870) — Irish rebel, fought at Castlecomer.

    • Napoleonic Wars (1803–15)

  • Vincent Markiewicz (1795?–1903) – Last Polish veteran. Fought for Napoleon. In 1912 there were three Polish men who claimed to have fought at Borodino, but it is unlikely they were real veterans due to lack of documentation and age ranges relatively high from 120 to 133.
  • Jean Adrin (1797–1902) – Last French veteran.
  • Geert Adriaans Boomgaard (1788–1899) – Last Dutch veteran and Europe's oldest man at the time of his death. He fought for France in the 33ème Régiment Léger.
  • Louis Victor Baillot (1793–1898) – French veteran. Last Battle of Waterloo veteran. Saw action at siege of Hamburg.
  • Pedro Martínez (1789?–1898) – Last Battle of Trafalgar veteran. Served in Spanish navy on San Juan Nepomuceno.
  • Leonard Meesters (1796–1896) – Last Belgian veteran. Fought for Napoleon.
  • Josephine Mazurkewicz (1794–1896) – Last female veteran. Assistant surgeon in Napoleon's army. Later partook in Crimean War.
  • Sir Provo Wallis (1791–1892) – Canada.
  • Morris Shea (1795–1892) – 73rd Foot – Last Scottish veteran.
  • Vasilij Nikolaevich Kochetkov (1785?–1892) Russian Imperial Army. Enlisted 7 March 1811. Served in Grenadier Lifeguard Regiment at Borodino. Served 66 1/2 years until 12 October 1877 when wounded out of service in the Russian-Ottoman War.
  • Joseph Sutherland (1789–1890) – Last English veteran. Royal Navy. Last British survivor of Trafalgar.

    • War of 1812 (1812–15)

  • Hiram Cronk (1800–1905) – United States Army.
  • Sir Provo Wallis (1791–1892) – Canadian Army. Royal Navy. Napoleonic veteran.

    • Greek War of Independence (1821–32)

  • John W Stainer (1808–1907) – Royal Navy. Last survivor of the Battle of Navarino.

    • July Revolution (1830)

  • Auguste Lebailly (1815–1911)

    • Belgian Revolution (1830–31)

  • Philippe Demoulin (1809–1912) – Belgium

    • Texas War of Independence (1835–36)

  • Alfonso Steele (1817–1911) – Last veteran of Battle of San Jacinto.
  • James L. Allen (1815–1901) – Texan courier at Alamo.

    • Black Hawk War (1832)

  • Henry L. Riggs (1812–1911)

    • Rebellions of 1837

  • Nelson Truax (1818–1915) – Hunters' Lodges. Last survivor of the Battle of the Windmill
  • François X. Matthieu (1818–1914) – Parti Patriote.
  • Douglas Labalmondière (1815–1893) – Upper Canada Rebels.

    • Mexican-American War (1846–48)

  • Owen Thomas Edgar (1831–1929) – United States Navy.
  • Antonio Rincón Gallardo (c. 1833–1928) – Mexican Army. Enlisted at 13 years old and served at Churubusco in 1847.

    • Hungarian Revolution of 1848–49 (1848–49)

  • Artúr Görgey (1818–1916) — Last Hungarian General.
  • István Lebo (1826–1928) — Believed the last Hungarian veteran. Last resident of the Hungarian Veterans Home.
  • József Fischl (1827–1929) — Last Hungarian veteran.

    • Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848–49)

  • John Stratford (1829–1932) – British East India Company. Fought in the battles of Ramnagar, Challianwala, and Gujrat. Later served in the Anglo-Persian War as well as the Indian Mutiny.

    • First Schleswig War (1848–51)

  • Jørgen Jørgensen Birkholm (1829–1931) – Last Danish veteran
  • Detlef Marxen (c.1825 - 1930) – Last German veteran

    • Crimean War (1853–56)

  • Charles Longden (1833–1938) – Last British survivor. Served in the Royal Engineers
  • Yves Prigent (1833–1938) – French sailor.
  • Charles Nathan (1834–1934) – Last French soldier. Saw action in Italy, Syria, Mexico and Franco-Prussian War.
  • Edwin Hughes (1830–1927) – Last survivor of Charge of the Light Brigade.
  • Edwin Bezar (1838–1936) – British soldier. Also last British soldier in New Zealand Wars.
  • Sir Fitzroy Maclean, 10th Baronet (1835–1936) – possible last British Army officer (he died 9 months after Bezar).
  • Luigi Parachini (c. 1832–1930) – Last Sardinian soldier. Served under general La Màrmora.
  • Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton (1845–1940). Claimed to have been a naval cadet on HMS Dragon during the siege of Sevastopol, earning two campaign medals before his twelfth birthday. There is no record of his having enrolled in the Royal Navy and at time of his visits to the Crimea (mid-May to mid-July 1856), nobody was entitled to the award of the British Crimea Medal. Later Colonel in British Army in Second Boer War.
  • Timothy (c.1839–2004) – Ship's tortoise mascot of HMS Queen during the first bombardment of Sevastopol in the Crimean War (she was the last survivor of this war).

    • Seminole Wars (1816–58)

  • Jacob C. Marsh (c. 1818–1917)

    • Indian Mutiny (1857–59)

  • Robert Collinson d'Esterre Spottiswoode (1841–1936) – Last British Army veteran.
  • Charles Palmer (1847–1940) – Nine-year-old boy who participated in the Siege of Lucknow

    • Third Italian War of Independence (1866)

  • Giovanni Battista Egisto Sivelli (1843–1934) – Italy.

    • New Zealand Wars (1845–72)

  • Edwin Bezar (1838–1936), last British soldier. Settled in New Zealand.

    • Second Italian War of Independence (1859)

  • Anton Neubauer (1836–1941) – Last survivor of the Battle of Solferino.
  • Amedeo Galle (1837–1936) – Italy.
  • François Ribet (1835–1936) – France.
  • William John Newby (1832–1934) – England. Last member of British Legion.

    • Union

  • Albert Woolson (1850–1956)

    • Confederacy

  • Last surviving Confederate veterans

    • Most cases are questionable, though it should be remembered that many Confederate records were destroyed or lost to history. Unlike the U.S. military archives, the Confederate records had no official archive system after the war. However, for most of the cases investigated, the ages of the claimants alone were enough to prove their claim was false. Walter Williams was generally acknowledged as the "last Confederate veteran" in 1950s newspapers. However, in September 1959 an exposé by The New York Times revealed that he was in fact born in 1854 in Itawamba County, Mississippi, and not 1842 as claimed. Still, since Salling and all the other claimants were dead, Williams was celebrated as the last Confederate veteran after his death on 20 December 1959.

    Salling's own status is disputed. In 1991, William Marvel examined the claims of Salling and several other "last Civil War veterans" for a piece in the Civil War history magazine Blue & Gray. Marvel found census data that indicated Salling was born in 1858, not 1846. Although in 1900 Salling supplied a birthdate of March 1858, he appears to have been born around 1856, still too late to have served in the Confederate Army. The 1860 census lists him as 4 years old, and the 1870 census as 14. William Lundy is listed as 1 year old on the 1860 census, and from 1870 until 1930 he gave census marshals ages that reflected birthdates as early as 1853 and as late as 1860. He did not push his birthdate back to the 1840s until he applied for a Confederate pension from the state of Florida. In the same piece, Marvel confirmed Woolson's claim to be the last surviving Union veteran and asserted that Woolson was the last genuine Civil War veteran on either side. However, Marvel did not present research establishing who, among the several other Confederate claims from the 1950s, some of which appear to be genuine, was the real last Confederate veteran.

    French invasion of Mexico (1861–67)

  • Jules Pujos (1846–1942) – France.
  • Francisco Arellano Zenteno (1842–1935) – Mexico. Fought at the battles of Puebla, La Carbonera and Tuxtepec. Had previously served in the Reform War.

    • January Uprising (1863–65)

  • Feliks Bartczuk (1846–1946) – Last veteran.

    • Second Schleswig War (1864)

  • Ove Henning Jacobsen (1841–1941) – Last Danish veteran.

    • Expedition to Abyssinia (1867–68)

  • Adrian Jones (1845–1938) – served as veterinary officer, believed to be last British survivor. Also served in First Boer War and Nile Expedition.

    • Indian Wars (1622–1924)

  • Josiah Allen (1800–1891) – Enlisted at 14 to serve in the Creek War. Later served in the War of 1812.
  • David McCoy (1790–1895) – Fought in Tecumseh's War. Saw Chief Tecumseh die while fighting in the Battle of the Thames. Served in the War of 1812
  • John Daw (1870–1965)
  • William James Howard (1826–1924) – fought in the Mariposa War in Yosemite Valley.
  • Dewey Beard (1857–1955) – Native American from Lakota tribe. Last survivor of Battle of the Little Big Horn. Also fought at Wounded Knee.
  • Hubert V. Eva (1869–1971) – Last participant of the Battle of Sugar Point, last battle fought between Native Americans and the U.S. Army
  • Frederick Fraske (1872–1973) – Last U.S Army veteran
  • Otto D. Van Norman (1876–1981) – Served in the local posse during the Battle of Kelley Creek

    • Franco-Prussian War (1870–71)

  • Seraphin Pruvost (1849–1955) – Last French veteran.
  • Karl Glöckner (1845–1953) – Last German veteran.

    • Paris Commune (1871)

  • Adrien Lejeune (1847–1942) – Last Communard.
  • Emile Chausse (1850–1941) – Left army and joined the communards in 1870.
  • Antonin Desfarges (1851–1941) – Last Communard député.

    • Third Anglo-Ashanti War (1873–74)

  • Harry Figg (1855–1953) – possible last British service veteran, died in Australia. Also served in First Boer War and Second Boer War.[11] [12]

    • Russo-Turkish War (1877–78)

  • Konstantin Vikent'evich Hrutskij (1855–1967) – Preobrazhenskij Lifeguard Regiment. Claim is not fully verified, and Hrutskij's own accounts of his experience contradict historical records.

    • Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878–80)

  • Alfred Hawker (1858–1962) – last British Army survivor

    • Zulu War (1879)

  • Charles Wallace Warden (died 1953) – Transferred to First Foot in 1874.
  • Frank Bourne (1854–1945) – Last survivor of Rorke's Drift.

    • War of the Pacific (1879–84)

  • Ricardo Orellana Olate (1860–1967) – Chilean Army

    • First Boer War (1880–81)

  • Harry Figg (1855–1953) – possibly last British Army survivor of this war, fought at Majuba Hill and Laing's Nek. (Previously served 1873 Anglo-Ashanti War.)

    • Anglo-Egyptian War (1882)

  • Sir Dudley de Chair (1864–1958) – British Army.

    • Mahdist War (1882–99)

  • James Richard Miles (1879–1977) – Britain. Fought at the Battle of Omdurman.

    • Nile Expedition (1884–85)

  • Sir Reginald Wingate (1861–1953) – last British officer survivor (later General in World War I).

    • Northwest Rebellion (1885)

  • William D. Mills (1866–1971)
  • Honoré Jackson (1861–1952)

    • Cuban War of Independence (1895–98)

  • Juan Fajardo Vega (1881–1990) – Cuban Liberation Army. Later served in the 1912 Negro Rebellion and the Cuban Revolution.

    • Spanish–American War (1898)

  • Jones Morgan (1882–1993)
  • Aurelio Diaz Campillo (1878–1989) – Spain

    • Second Boer War (1899–1902)

  • George Frederick Ives (1881–1993) – British army. Later emigrated to Canada.
  • Pieter Arnoldus Krueler (1885–1986) – Boer army. Later served in both world wars and the Spanish Civil War and was a mercenary in the Congo Crisis.

    • Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901) and Philippine–American War (1899–1902)

  • Nathan E. Cook (1885–1992)

    • Potemkin Mutiny (1905)

  • Ivan Beshoff (1885–1987) – Sailor on Russian battleship Potemkin. Fled to Ireland and opened a fish and chips shop.

    • Russo-Japanese War (1904–05)

  • Mamoru Eto (1883–1992) – Japanese Army
  • Alex Gory (1881–1989) – Russian Army

    • Macedonian Struggle (1904–08)

  • Christos Papantoniou (1890–1995) – Greece

    • Mexican Revolution (1910–20)

  • Juan Carlos Caballero Vega (1900–2010) – Pancho Villa's driver.
  • Feliciano Mejia (1899–2008) – Last living member of Emiliano Zapata's Ejército Libertador del Sur.
  • Antonio Gómez Delgado (1900–2007) – Last living member of Pancho Villa's División del Norte
  • Teodoro García (1889–1999) – Last Federal soldier.

    • Italo-Turkish War (1911–12)

  • Nunzio Luigi Ciannilli (1889–1992) – Italian Colonial Forces. Also served in World War I

    • Balkan Wars (1912–13)

  • Lăcătușu Dumitrașcu (1891–1999) – Romanian Army. Also served in WWI and WWII
  • Christos Papantoniou (1890–1995) – Greek Army. Also served in WWI and WWII.
  • Hristo Getov-Obbov (1893–1994) – Bulgarian Army.
  • Hüseyin Kaçmaz (1884–1994) – Ottoman Army. Also served in WWI.
  • Danilo Dajković (1895–1993) – Montenegrin Army. Also served in WWI.

    • World War I (1914–18)

  • Florence Green (1901–2012) – Britain. Last veteran of World War I from any country. Served as an officer's mess steward in the Women's Royal Air Force.
  • Claude Choules (1901–2011) – Britain. Last combat veteran. Served in the Royal Navy. Also last veteran to serve in both World Wars.
  • Harry Patch (1898–2009) – Britain. Last soldier to fight in the trenches.
  • Franz Künstler (1900–2008) – Austria-Hungary. Last veteran from the Central Powers.

    • Easter Rising (1916)

  • John Rogers (1894–2000) – British Army. Also served in WWI.
  • Lily Kempson (1897–1996) – Irish Citizen Army.

    • October Revolution (1917)

  • Boris Gudz (1902–2006) – Red Army. Also fought in Russian Civil War.

    • Russian Civil War (1917–22)

    Russian participants:

  • Boris Gudz (1902–2006) – Red Army. Also fought in October Revolution.
  • Nikolai Fyodorov (1901–2003) – White Army.

    • Veterans of Allied military intervention forces:

  • Warren V. Hileman (1901–2005) – last US Army veteran of Polar Bear Expedition.
  • Harold Edwin Radford (1897–2003) – last known Canadian veteran, was stationed at Vladivostok.
  • Jean Piry (1896–2003) – last known French Army veteran
  • Frank William Ivers (1902–2003) – last known British veteran, served in Royal Navy off north Russia.
  • Harold Gunnes (1899–2003) – last US Navy veteran of the Polar Bear Expedition. Saw action against the Bolsheviks on USS Olympia (C-6) in 1918.

    • Finnish Civil War (1918)

  • Lauri Nurminen (1906–2009) – White Guards.
  • Aarne Arvonen (1897–2009) – Red Guards.

    • Greater Poland Uprising (1918–19)

  • Jan Rzepa (1899–2005) – Last Polish fighter.

    • German Revolution of 1918–19

  • Helmut Fink (1901–2009) – Freikorps.
  • William Seegers (Also second last German World War One Veteran) (1900–2007) – German Army.

    • Polish–Ukrainian War (1918–19)

  • Major Aleksander Sałacki (1904–2008) – Last surviving Lwów Eaglet.

    • Estonian War of Independence (1918–20)

  • Ants Ilus (1901–2006) – Died in Estonia.
  • Karl Jaanus (1899–2000) – Last surviving Cross of Liberty recipient awarded during war.

    • Latvian War of Independence (1918–20)

  • Arnolds Hofmanis (1900–2006) – Died in Tukums, Latvia.
  • Arvīds Lauris (1901–2003) – Last surviving Order of Lāčplēsis recipient awarded during war.

    • Irish War of Independence (1919–21)

  • Dan Keating (1902–2007) – Irish Republican Army.
  • Bert Clark (1899–2005) – British Army.
  • Hugh McIvor (1901–2002) – Last survivor of the Royal Irish Constabulary

    • Polish–Soviet War (1919–21)

  • Alexander Imich (1903–2014) - Poland.

    • Silesian Uprisings (1919–21)

  • Wilhelm Meisel (1904–2009) – Last survivor.

    • Polish–Lithuanian War (1919–20)

  • Stefan Jan Ostrowski (1902–2003) – Poland. Also fought against the Soviets.
  • Česlovas Januškevičius (1900–2001) – Lithuania.

    • Lithuanian Wars of Independence (1918–20)

  • Kazys Varkala (1900–2005) – Lithuania. Fought against the Soviets and the Bermontians
  • Česlovas Januškevičius (1900–2001) – Lithuania. Fought the Polish in 1920.

    • Turkish War of Independence (1919–23)

  • Mustafa Şekip Birgöl (1903–2008) – Died in Turkey.

    • Greco-Turkish War (1919–22)

  • Veysel Turan (1901–2007) – Turkey
  • Napoleon Patricios (1899–2006) – Greece. Served on board the destroyer Ierax.

    • Rif War (1920-1926)

  • Francisco Núñez Olivera (born 1904) – Spain.

    • March on Rome (1922)

  • Vasco Bruttomesso (1903–2009)

    • Northern Expedition (1926–28)

  • Tsien Tsuen-hsuin (1909–2015) – National Revolutionary Army.

    • Cristero War (1926–29)

  • Juan Daniel Macías Villegas (1912–2016) – Last surviving Cristero.

    • Nanchang Uprising (1927)

  • Xiao Ke (1907–2008) – Last Communist officer.

    • Brazilian Revolution of 1930

  • Waldemar Levy Cardoso (1900–2009) – Brazilian army.

    • Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)

  • Delmer Berg (1915–2016) - United States. Last veteran of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade
  • Günther Scholz (1911–2014) - Germany. Last veteran of the Condor Legion.
  • Six Republicans and three Nationalists still living in 2017.

    • References

    List of last surviving veterans of military insurgencies and wars Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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