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Britain’s last WW1 veteran buried

Published on 6 August 2009 - 7:26pm
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In Great Britain, thousands of people have attended the funeral of Harry Patch, the oldest surviving soldier from the First World War, who died two weeks ago at the age of 111. Mr Patch was buried in the cathedral of the south-western city of Wells.

Mr Patch was born on 17 July 1898. A few months after arriving at the front line in Belgium in 1917, he was wounded in the Third Battle of Ypres, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele, in which thousands of soldiers on both sides died.

In his final years, Patch spoke frequently about the war. He called it "organised murder" and said that "It was not worth it. It was not worth one life, let alone all the millions."

Rock group Radiohead have written a song to honour the veteran. They will donate the proceeds from Harry Patch (In Memory Of), which can be downloaded from their website, to an organisation that provides aid to veterans.

 

Photo of Harry Patch by SalientPoints (flickr)

  • Photo of Harry Patch by SalientPoints (flickr)

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