Bill Stone, one of the last veterans of WWI, died on 10 January at the age of 108. Stone joined the Royal Navy on 23 September 1918. He was still in training at the time of the Armistice but while serving on HMS Tiger he witnessed the scuttling of the German Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow in 1919.Stone also served in WWII. He participated in the evacuation of Dunkirk which he described as: ” the worst experience of my life ... I saw hundreds of people killed in front of me. Some had no clothes on and were shot and bombed as they swam out to boats. There were oil tanks burning, ships sinking and hundreds of soldiers lined up on the beaches” He also served on the Arctic convoys and participated in allied the invasion of Sicily. He left the Royal Navy in 1945 and set up a barber’s shop.
Stone made his last public appearance on 11 November 2008 (the 90th anniversary of the end of WWI) when together with fellow veterans Henry Allingham and Harry Patch he laid a commemorative wreath for the Act of Remembrance at The Cenotaph.
His daughter described him as a "very determined character “ and “a man of great faith”
There are now just seven WWI veterans alive
90 years puts it into perspective.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes
108! That's quite an age. And he saw so many changes in his life.
ReplyDeleteIt's ahrd to think that nobody had even flown when he was born
ReplyDeleteA genuine survivor! May a gracious God be good to him!
ReplyDeleteHe certainly was Kay
ReplyDeleteAh, now that's a sad one.
ReplyDeleteIt sad but inevitable, what a wonderful age though :-)
ReplyDeleteAgreed James, it was a wonderful life Cherie
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