Name Pawel Parniak | ||
Paweł Parniak (27 February 1890 – 27 March 2006) claimed to be the world's oldest living person and oldest combat veteran ever. He gained international attention in 2002, when he was named Poland's oldest man by the Polish Book of Records.
Parniak claimed to have been born in 1890 in Nowosiółka Biskupia, an area that is now part of Ukraine, and at the time of his birth belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Apart from his age, Parniak's status as a surviving World War I veteran made him a person of interest for those interested in Polish and World War I history. He enlisted for the Austro-Hungarian army in 1914. In 1919, he joined the Polish army. From 1926 to 1932, he had emigrated to Canada seeking employment. During World War II he was recruited again and suffered several stabbing wounds inflicted by a Ukrainian soldier, but survived this. He died in Wolibórz, Poland.