Today’s Independent celebrates the 110th birthday of Florence Green, the last WWI veteran resident in the UK.
Florence Green, from King's Lynn, Norfolk, was 17 years old when she joined the Women's Royal Air Force, in the late summer of 1918. When WWI ended she was working as a waitress at RAF Marham,
When asked what it's like to be 110, Mrs Green, who lives with her 89 year old daughter May, said "It's not much different to being 109,” (Fair enough I am sure that 48 will feel much the same as 47!)
Mrs Green was only identified as a surviving war veteran in 2008, when a researcher of gerontology found her service record, listed under her maiden name, Patterson, at the National Archives.
Though she never saw the front line, her service in the WRAF qualifies her for veteran status. She is now one of just two surviving Britons from the conflict. The other, Claude Stanley Choules, served in the Royal Navy and now lives in Australia. His own 110th birthday is on 3 March.
Apart from Florence Green and Claude Choules the only other , only surviving WWI veteran is American Frank Buckles who served in France as an American ambulance driver who turned 110 earlier this month.
Her’s wishing Florence a belated happy birthday and Franck Buckles an even more bleated one! It is pleasing to see that three veterans of WWI are still with us.
10 comments:
That's rather like the answer attributed to Mark Twain when someone asked 'who wants to live to be 99?' and he answered 'someone who's 98'.
This lady looks to be in fine fettle.
Haha that's a good one Susan. The photo is a couple of years old. I hope she is still in fine shape
One of the best songs I know about WWI ... and WWI veterans.
Two Brits and an American? Surely there must be someone from the European armies still soldiering on?
Oh, wow. I wonder what it would be like to be her...
Ah yes Francis a poingnant song indeed.
Actually Not Chris. The last Central Powers vet died in 2008 (A Hungarian). The last French and Italian vets died in 2008 too. THe Last Aussie died in 2009 and the last Canadian vet died in 2010.
To have a life with many, many memories Sphinx!
This is making me cry...The War to end all Wars!
Sadly it seems that the War to end all wars will be the one that ends our species....
That is a ripe old age :-)
It certainly is Cherie
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