Last veteran of WWI
Died aged 110
Claude Choules, the last surviving combat veteran of World War I has died in a nursing home in Perth, Western Australia, aged 110.
Mr Choules, was born in Wyre Piddle, Worcestershire, in 1901.
During a 41-year career in the Royal Navy that spanned both wars, he served on HMS Revenge, witnessing the surrender of the German Imperial Navy in 1918 and the scuttling of the fleet in Scapa Flow.
He was seconded to the Australian Navy in 1926 and remained in the force for 30 years, which included World War II, before retiring.
Mr Choules died in his sleep early on Thursday morning, just weeks after his 110th birthday.
His daughter, Daphne Edinger, 84, said her father would be remembered as a man who loved the sea. "He was known for his love of rope work and working with little boats."
Adrian Choules, 76, said his father "was born two years before the Wright brothers flew their first aeroplane, so he spanned a lot of human history and now that he's gone there will be a gap".
He was declared the last known survivor of the more than 70 million military personnel mobilised globally during World War I after American veteran Frank Buckles died this year.
