OT - Australia's last WWI veteran passed away

[Ysabel Kid]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090603/lf_ ... ia_soldier

[gamekeeper]

May Jack rest in peace. 110 years old WOW!

[Jaguarundi]

RIP.

[the telegraphist]

Vale Jack,
Your mates are on the other side to give you a warm welcome. You are finally in a better place where war does not exist.
You are an ANZAC legend RIP. Am sure there will plenty of OP rum and two-up.

[BenT]

WOW! My grandfather on my mothers side served in WW1. I didn't even know it until in his 90's they had to put him a nursing home and my mother and her sisters where talking about getting VA assistance. Had I known I would of liked to talk to him more about it. I was 1 of 32 grand kids and he didn't spend that much time with us kids. We had him out numbered.

God Bless all Veterans

[rjohns94]

thanks for the post. Praying he is in a better place now.

[airedaleman]

"...Someday no one will march there at all..."

Vale.

[Pop Watts]

I just think this is a big thing for all Australians to loose our last original ANZAC.

Psalms 46:9 - we want a world without war.

Pop

[kimwcook]

RIP, ole boy. You deserve it.

[Cosmoline]

That's an impressive run.

It's always interested me how Australian national identity is tied up in WWI. They seem to draw a great deal from the defeat at Gallipoli. Not to generalize, but I think it's fair to say we Americans would have tried to forget about such a thing, like we try to forget about the battles in WWII where things didn't go well for us (Hürtgen Forest, Gothic Line, etc.).

[JReed]

RIP you had a good long run.

Not to be OT but what is an ANZAC?

[gundownunder]

Not to be OT but what is an ANZAC?

ANZACS are members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

He must have been a tough old bird to make it to 110.
I'm sure as the last of the originals he will be easily remembered.

[Blaine]

Well......I will dam sure Hoist a Foster's to him tonight

[MikeS.]

A loss for us all.

I've read recently that the US is losing almost 900 WW2 vets a day.

I've met Frank Arbuckle a few times. He is a Mason and PM of a local Lodge. Frank is the last US survivor of WW1. Quite interesting to talk to. He was a "guest" of the japs in the Philliphines during WW2.

[aussie]

Cosmoline, this essay may shed some light on your querie.
http://www.afssse.asn.au/simpson/prize2 ... ir2001.htm

aussie.

[Bruce Scott]

Cosmoline, this essay may shed some light on your querie.
http://www.afssse.asn.au/simpson/prize2 ... ir2001.htm

aussie.

That's a pretty good summation.

This is also worth a read: http://www.awm.gov.au/events/talks/oration2004.asp

And you can read the Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 online here: http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/first_world_war/

[RSY]

That's an impressive run.

It's always interested me how Australian national identity is tied up in WWI. They seem to draw a great deal from the defeat at Gallipoli. Not to generalize, but I think it's fair to say we Americans would have tried to forget about such a thing, like we try to forget about the battles in WWII where things didn't go well for us (Hürtgen Forest, Gothic Line, etc.).

Adding considerable strength to your statement is the fact that, God bless him nonetheless, this guy never left Australia and he saw no combat. I'm not sure everyone realized that, or not.

Scott

[Bruce Scott]

Yeah, I think that fact slipped past many, although it was in all the media reports that I saw.

To call the old fella an original Anzac is really stretching it. His WWII service was also only on home soil.

[Cosmoline]

I don't know about that. He was set and ready, whether or not he actually got shipped over. He was called and stood ready to walk to his doom, which is a lot more than my sorry behind has ever had to do.

[Griff]

My Grandad was at Gallipoli along with 2 of his brothers-in-law. It was/is a big deal in both countries.

[Bruce Scott]

I don't know about that. He was set and ready, whether or not he actually got shipped over.

Agreed.

It wasn't my intention to disparage his service, although it may have come across that way...