Harry Patch Britains last Ypres Survivor passes away

[Romilly]

I feel that the world seems more lightweight with no one left in it who fought in the Great War. They left us a huge legacy to live up to.

There are three WW1 Veterans left now apparantly. (The last British one lives in Australia).

See: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6728000.ece

Romilly.

[Redroger]

Sad news, but on the subject of state funerals, both Harry Patch and Henry Allingham were offered them, and according to posts for the latter had refused the honour. R.I.P both.

[Aniseed]

There are three WW1 Veterans left now apparantly. (The last British one lives in Australia).

Thanks for that, I didn't know. There are still some people left who directly experienced the Great War, then.

There's going to be a memorial service in Westminster Abbey in the autumn to honour everyone who fought in WWI, which is a fitting thing, I think.

[Redroger]

Excellent, Both my father and my wife's father were in WW1
Dad was three years in the trenches latterly as a forward HQ signaller, and my wife's father was wounded on his way to the front 1st time, the war was over before he recovered, so I suppose in a way he was lucky! If having a leg wound for the next 50 years is lucky!

[Romilly]

Yes, many of the last survivors who lived through & experienced service in WW1 might have passed on, but their experiences live on through their families.

My father, & three of his brothers, saw active service in WW1, - in the RNR. My father was almost an exact contemporary of Henry Allingham, having been born on the 27th May 1896. (Henry was born on the 6th June 1896).

Romilly.

[genjen]

I am so sad to hear of Harry Patch's death. If we are allowed to have a favourite amongst these remarkable men, he was mine. His WW1 experience and his subsequent outspoken views on the horrors of war, his pacifist stand point and his dignity were second to none. And his refusal to be too old for romance in his life was quite amazing. We could all learn from him.

But please can I tell you a story......

Firstly, I need to tell you that I left home on Thursday last week, to travel south to celebrate my daughter's wedding on Saturday. From Friday morning until Sunday afternoon, I saw no television and heard no radio - far too busy with the event in hand. I've been so out of touch that I don't even know if Henry Allingham's funeral has happened yet.


I woke up at three o'clock on Saturday morning - obviously full of last minute worries about the day to follow.

 But the really strange thing was that going through my head for the next three four hours or so was the song "When This Lousy War Is Over", as featured in the film "Oh What A Lovely War" . At about six o'clock, I mentioned it to my partner and said, in what I thought was a rather fanciful manner, that I was wondering whether Harry Patch might have died. About an hour later I said the same thing to my ex husband, who looked at me as if I was barking mad and that he had better humour me. He sang a line of the song just to prove that he remembered it.

I didn't hear the actual news of Harry Patch's death until I was on my way home today. It shook me because I am not much given to fanciful notions - even my partner was rendered speechless for a while.

I now know that he died a little later that morning. What I don't understand is why, on the morning of such an important and happy day for my family, should I wake up singing a song from the trenches and one which I haven't heard or thought about for a very long time.

I don't really believe in things spiritual - I like a rational explanation for everything. But was there anyone else out there who was unwittingly singing Harry Patch's final hours??

Jen

[Romilly]

Hi Jen,

I was interested to read your post, - & no, you are not alone...Harry Patch was on my mind last week too...

I got his autobiography, (written with Richard Van Emden) 'The Last Fighting Tommy: The Life of Harry Patch, The Only Surviving Veteran of the Trenches' out of the Library last thursday, plus the new Poetry book by Andrew Motion, ('The Cinder Path'); which has a poem about Harry Patch) & was still reading them when his death was announced.

This Article features Andrew Motion, (former Poet Laureate) reading his poem about Harry:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/content/articles/2008/03/03/west_harry_patch_s13_w3_video_feature.shtml

Harry Patch was one of life's true Gentlemen...may his memory live on.

Romilly.

[genjen]

I think he was bound to be in our minds, following the recent death of Henry Allingham and I expect that is the rational explanation but the incongruity of the song, which seriously would not go away from my mind, on the early morning of my daughter's wedding was what puzzled me. Even when I was running through all my last minute panics and wondering if there was enough time to get everything organised, it was there as an accompaniment in the background. Not exactly a cheerful choice for a soundtrack.

Very odd.

[Redroger]

I believe that I am a rational thinking type of person, I like you Jen prefer to see a rational explanation for everything. Yet somethings happen which seem to defy explanation. On a similar sort of thought to yours though in much happier circumstances,over 20 years ago we were waiting to learn whether our daughter had a place in teacher training college. The wait went on for a long time, until one morning my wife said for no reason "She has a place at Scarborough" Two hours later the post came, and sure enough she had!
Many years ago I was conducting an on train census of passengers when a man joined the train, and turned into a first class section. I went to inspect his ticket, and found the compartment empty. The door had been in my view all the time. Still waiting for a rational explanation on that one. It happened in 1977.