This is an incomplete list of the last surviving European veterans of
several wars. The last surviving veteran of any particular war, upon his death, marks the end of a historic era. Exactly who is the last surviving veteran is often an issue of contention, especially with records from wars which happened long ago. The "last man standing" was often very young at the time of enlistment and in many cases had lied about his age to gain entry into the service, which confuses matters further.
Early modern period
These cases, particularly with respect to the ages claimed by the veterans, cannot be verified.
Andreas Nielsen (1660?–1782) –
Norwegian soldier. Claimed to be the last
Scanian War veteran, to have had a long military career and seen many battles.[1][3]
Jean Thurel (1698–1807) – France. Also served in the War of the Polish Succession, Seven Years' War, and the American Revolutionary War. Known as "the oldest soldier of Europe."[15]
Johann Georg Sauer (1713-1819) - Dutch Republic. Also served in the Revolutionary Wars.
Johann Heinrich Behrens (1735–1844) –
Prussia. Died in Wolfenbüttel.[16]
Ezekiel Blackmarr (1742–1841) – Great Britain. Born in the American colonies. Enlisted in British forces and was their last survivor of the
Battle of Havana (1762).[17]
Arthur Dardenne (1776–1872) – France. Last surviving person to have taken part in the
Storming of the Bastille.[22]
Nicolas Savin (1768/1787?–1894) – France. Enlisted in 2nd Regiment of Hussars in 1798. 1768 figure proclaims he was approximately 126 at time of death. Later served under Napoleon and was awarded the
Legion d'Honneur.[23]
Vincent Markiewicz (1795?–1903) –
France. Last Polish veteran. Fought for Napoleon.[24] In 1912 there were three Polish men who claimed to have fought at
Borodino, but it is unlikely they were real veterans due to lack of documentation and age ranges relatively high from 120 to 133.
August Friedrich Schmidt (1795--1899)-- Prussia. Last German veteran. Enlisted in March 1813 and is a candidate for last veteran of the Battle of Waterloo.[25]
Geert Adriaans Boomgaard (1788–1899) – France. Last Dutch veteran and verified veteran. Europe's oldest man at the time of his death. He fought for
Napoleon in the 33ème Régiment Léger.[23]
Vasilij Nikolaevich Kochetkov (1785?–1892) –
Russia. Enlisted 7 March 1811. Served in Grenadier Lifeguard Regiment at Borodino. Served 66 1/2 years until 12 October 1877 when wounded out of service in the Russian-Ottoman War.[37]
Joseph Sutherland (1789–1890) – United Kingdom. Served in the Royal Navy on
HMS Beaulieu and was the last British survivor of
Trafalgar.[38]
Lewis Tobias Jones (1797–1895) – United Kingdom. Served in the Royal Navy on
HMS Medway. Participated in the 1814 capture of
USS Syren. Also a Napoleonic Wars veteran.[40]
Edwin Bezar (1838–1936) — British Empire. Hostilities had ceased by the time he arrived; he worked on re-interring the dead and building cemetery walls. Also served in the
New Zealand Wars.
Claude Choules (1901–2011) – British Empire. Last combat veteran. Served in the
Royal Navy on
HMS Revenge. Also last veteran to serve in both World Wars.
Harry Patch (1898–2009) – British Empire. Last soldier to fight in the
trenches.
William Conor Hogan (1898–1995) – Irish rebels. Served in the
Irish Volunteers. Also served in the War of Independence and the Civil War.[111][112][113]
^
abBrown, Charles Brockden;
Walsh, Robert (1808). The American register, or general repository of history, politics and science, Volume 2. Philadelphia: C & A. Conrad and Company. p. 408.
^Behrens, Johann H. (1840). Lebensgeschichte des 105-jährigen in Wolfenbüttel lebenden Invaliden-Unterofficiers Joh. Heinr. Behrens eines Zeitgenossen und Kriegers Friedrich's des Großen (in German). Wolfenbüttel: Holle. pp. 944–950.
^Hoefer, M.;
Ferdinand, Jean Chrétien (1857). Nouvelle biographie générale depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'à nos jours avec les renseignements bibliographiques et l'indication des sources à consulter (in French). Paris: Paris, Firmin Didot frères, fils et cie.
^"Commander Henry James". The Westminster Budget. 14 January 1898. p. 30. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
^Robinson, Charles N., ed. (1897).
"Veteran Officers Of The Navy". Navy and Army Illustrated. Vol. 4, no. 46. Hudson & Kearns. p. 258. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
^"Biografie Wilhelm I" (in German). Deutsches Historisches Museum. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
^"Among Our Contemporaries". United Service: A Monthly Review of Military and Naval. Vol. 14. L. R. Hamersly & Company. 1895. p. 564. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
^"Een oude oud-strijder". Newspaper (in Dutch). Leidsche Courant. 4 October 1912. p. 3. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
^"LE CENTENAIRE DE MAINCY". Newspaper (in French). Le Petit Journal. 28 December 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
^"Centenaire décoré". Newspaper (in French). La Croix. 11 February 1912. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
^"Miroir de l'histoire" (in French). No. 313–320. Nouvelle librairie de France. 1979. p. 669. Retrieved 30 March 2018. {{
cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (
help)
^Austin, Dr. Douglas J. (April 2011).
"A Last Survivor Of The Crimean War?". The War Correspondent. 29 (1 ed.). Crimean War Research Society: 6–11. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
^"légion d'honneur". Journal officiel de la République française. 12 January 1937. p. 508. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
^Jakubik, Marian; Kołodziejczyk, Arkadiusz (2002). Żołnierska danina życia od 1657 roku (in Polish). IHAP. p. 158.
ISBN978-83-87088-59-0.
^"Antoni Suss" (in Polish). Nieobecni.com.pl. 23 November 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
^"Den sidste Marine-Veteran død" [The Last Naval Veteran is dead] (PDF). Under Dannebrog (in Danish) (2). The Danish Navy Association: 16. February 1943. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
^Personalhistorisk tidsskrift (in Danish). Society for Danish Genealogy and Staff History. 2003. p. 29. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
^"Inventory Search". nam.ac.uk. National Army Museum. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
^Bowd, Gavin (2007). Le dernier communard: Adrien Lejeune (in French). Editions L'Harmattan.
ISBN978-2-296-02974-3.
^"Les obsèques de M. Liné" (in French). Le Journal de l'Orne. 10 February 1940. p. 2. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
^"OBSERVANCE OF EMPIRE DAY". Newspaper. The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 May 1947. p. 5. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
^Capodarca, Valido, ed. (1994).
"La Guerra Italo-Turca (1911–1912". IMMAGINI ED EVOLUZIONE DEL CORPO AUTOMOBILISTICO (in Italian). Vol. 1. Rivista Militare. p. 58. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
^Strzoda, Ewa (15 April 2008).
"Odszedł niezwykły tyszanin"(PDF) (in Polish). Twoje Tychy. p. 4. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
This is an incomplete list of the last surviving European veterans of
several wars. The last surviving veteran of any particular war, upon his death, marks the end of a historic era. Exactly who is the last surviving veteran is often an issue of contention, especially with records from wars which happened long ago. The "last man standing" was often very young at the time of enlistment and in many cases had lied about his age to gain entry into the service, which confuses matters further.
Early modern period
These cases, particularly with respect to the ages claimed by the veterans, cannot be verified.
Andreas Nielsen (1660?–1782) –
Norwegian soldier. Claimed to be the last
Scanian War veteran, to have had a long military career and seen many battles.[1][3]
Jean Thurel (1698–1807) – France. Also served in the War of the Polish Succession, Seven Years' War, and the American Revolutionary War. Known as "the oldest soldier of Europe."[15]
Johann Georg Sauer (1713-1819) - Dutch Republic. Also served in the Revolutionary Wars.
Johann Heinrich Behrens (1735–1844) –
Prussia. Died in Wolfenbüttel.[16]
Ezekiel Blackmarr (1742–1841) – Great Britain. Born in the American colonies. Enlisted in British forces and was their last survivor of the
Battle of Havana (1762).[17]
Arthur Dardenne (1776–1872) – France. Last surviving person to have taken part in the
Storming of the Bastille.[22]
Nicolas Savin (1768/1787?–1894) – France. Enlisted in 2nd Regiment of Hussars in 1798. 1768 figure proclaims he was approximately 126 at time of death. Later served under Napoleon and was awarded the
Legion d'Honneur.[23]
Vincent Markiewicz (1795?–1903) –
France. Last Polish veteran. Fought for Napoleon.[24] In 1912 there were three Polish men who claimed to have fought at
Borodino, but it is unlikely they were real veterans due to lack of documentation and age ranges relatively high from 120 to 133.
August Friedrich Schmidt (1795--1899)-- Prussia. Last German veteran. Enlisted in March 1813 and is a candidate for last veteran of the Battle of Waterloo.[25]
Geert Adriaans Boomgaard (1788–1899) – France. Last Dutch veteran and verified veteran. Europe's oldest man at the time of his death. He fought for
Napoleon in the 33ème Régiment Léger.[23]
Vasilij Nikolaevich Kochetkov (1785?–1892) –
Russia. Enlisted 7 March 1811. Served in Grenadier Lifeguard Regiment at Borodino. Served 66 1/2 years until 12 October 1877 when wounded out of service in the Russian-Ottoman War.[37]
Joseph Sutherland (1789–1890) – United Kingdom. Served in the Royal Navy on
HMS Beaulieu and was the last British survivor of
Trafalgar.[38]
Lewis Tobias Jones (1797–1895) – United Kingdom. Served in the Royal Navy on
HMS Medway. Participated in the 1814 capture of
USS Syren. Also a Napoleonic Wars veteran.[40]
Edwin Bezar (1838–1936) — British Empire. Hostilities had ceased by the time he arrived; he worked on re-interring the dead and building cemetery walls. Also served in the
New Zealand Wars.
Claude Choules (1901–2011) – British Empire. Last combat veteran. Served in the
Royal Navy on
HMS Revenge. Also last veteran to serve in both World Wars.
Harry Patch (1898–2009) – British Empire. Last soldier to fight in the
trenches.
William Conor Hogan (1898–1995) – Irish rebels. Served in the
Irish Volunteers. Also served in the War of Independence and the Civil War.[111][112][113]
^
abBrown, Charles Brockden;
Walsh, Robert (1808). The American register, or general repository of history, politics and science, Volume 2. Philadelphia: C & A. Conrad and Company. p. 408.
^Behrens, Johann H. (1840). Lebensgeschichte des 105-jährigen in Wolfenbüttel lebenden Invaliden-Unterofficiers Joh. Heinr. Behrens eines Zeitgenossen und Kriegers Friedrich's des Großen (in German). Wolfenbüttel: Holle. pp. 944–950.
^Hoefer, M.;
Ferdinand, Jean Chrétien (1857). Nouvelle biographie générale depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'à nos jours avec les renseignements bibliographiques et l'indication des sources à consulter (in French). Paris: Paris, Firmin Didot frères, fils et cie.
^"Commander Henry James". The Westminster Budget. 14 January 1898. p. 30. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
^Robinson, Charles N., ed. (1897).
"Veteran Officers Of The Navy". Navy and Army Illustrated. Vol. 4, no. 46. Hudson & Kearns. p. 258. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
^"Biografie Wilhelm I" (in German). Deutsches Historisches Museum. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
^"Among Our Contemporaries". United Service: A Monthly Review of Military and Naval. Vol. 14. L. R. Hamersly & Company. 1895. p. 564. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
^"Een oude oud-strijder". Newspaper (in Dutch). Leidsche Courant. 4 October 1912. p. 3. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
^"LE CENTENAIRE DE MAINCY". Newspaper (in French). Le Petit Journal. 28 December 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
^"Centenaire décoré". Newspaper (in French). La Croix. 11 February 1912. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
^"Miroir de l'histoire" (in French). No. 313–320. Nouvelle librairie de France. 1979. p. 669. Retrieved 30 March 2018. {{
cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (
help)
^Austin, Dr. Douglas J. (April 2011).
"A Last Survivor Of The Crimean War?". The War Correspondent. 29 (1 ed.). Crimean War Research Society: 6–11. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
^"légion d'honneur". Journal officiel de la République française. 12 January 1937. p. 508. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
^Jakubik, Marian; Kołodziejczyk, Arkadiusz (2002). Żołnierska danina życia od 1657 roku (in Polish). IHAP. p. 158.
ISBN978-83-87088-59-0.
^"Antoni Suss" (in Polish). Nieobecni.com.pl. 23 November 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
^"Den sidste Marine-Veteran død" [The Last Naval Veteran is dead] (PDF). Under Dannebrog (in Danish) (2). The Danish Navy Association: 16. February 1943. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
^Personalhistorisk tidsskrift (in Danish). Society for Danish Genealogy and Staff History. 2003. p. 29. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
^"Inventory Search". nam.ac.uk. National Army Museum. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
^Bowd, Gavin (2007). Le dernier communard: Adrien Lejeune (in French). Editions L'Harmattan.
ISBN978-2-296-02974-3.
^"Les obsèques de M. Liné" (in French). Le Journal de l'Orne. 10 February 1940. p. 2. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
^"OBSERVANCE OF EMPIRE DAY". Newspaper. The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 May 1947. p. 5. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
^Capodarca, Valido, ed. (1994).
"La Guerra Italo-Turca (1911–1912". IMMAGINI ED EVOLUZIONE DEL CORPO AUTOMOBILISTICO (in Italian). Vol. 1. Rivista Militare. p. 58. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
^Strzoda, Ewa (15 April 2008).
"Odszedł niezwykły tyszanin"(PDF) (in Polish). Twoje Tychy. p. 4. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2011.