Harry patch in ypres battle

Patch, who lives in a care home in wells, somerset, is the second oldest person in britain and is the last surviving british soldier to have served in the third battle of ypres, the battle of. Two weeks after the third battle of ypres, passchendaele, had begun on 31 july 1917, patch duly went over the top. He fought at the battle of passchendaele also known as the third battle of ypres and was injured in. Harry patch, from somerset, the last surviving tommy. Harry patch harry patch photos 100th anniversary of. The last world war i soldier to see combat died at age 111.

It was only when he turned 100 that the veteran of ypres began to speak about the horrors he had seen. Patch was, with claude choules and florence green, one of the last three surviving british veterans of the first world war and. But before he passed away at aged 111 and as britains oldest man, he finally opened up to military. Harry was the last surviving british soldier to have served in the third battle of ypres the battle of passchendaele in which more than 70,000. Henry john harry patch 18982009 find a grave memorial. He was the last surviving combat soldier of the first world war and briefly, the oldest man from any country in europe. Western front world war i notes battle of passchendaele is the mostused name for the campaign in english, but is not used everywhere. Harry patch memorial, langemark armistice in ypres and. He was britains last surviving world war i combat veteran. The battle was the brainchild of field marshal sir douglas haig, who intended. Harry patch visited the battlefield with historian richard van emden. Timeline world history documentaries 1,266,961 views. Mr patch, who was known as the last fighting tommy, was the last living soldier to have fought in bloody battle of passchendaele, at ypres. The allies and the germans failed to outflank each other, and both sides settled into the trench warfare that would characterize the remainder of the war on the western front.

Battle of the lys 1918 929 april 1918 also known as the battle of estaires or the fourth battle of ypres. The stirring words of britains last fighting tommy war isnt worth one life, harry patch the man nicknamed the last fighting tommy said before his death on july 25, 2009. Patch, who was injured in the third battle of ypres in 1917 and. In 1998, as a surviving veteran of the first world war, who had fought for the allies in france and flanders, the president of the republic of france made him a knight of the legion dhonneur. Battle of passchendaeles last survivor passchendaele. He was blown away by the blast, but his other three teammates were completely vaporized. Ww1 picture 59 harry patch and charles kuentz shake hands. Harry patch photos an image of harry patch, till his death in 2009 the last surviving combat soldier of world war one, is seen on the side of the building as the story of the war in the ypres. Three of them were blown to pieces while patch was wounded in the groin by a piece of shrapnel. A sand animation uses an audio recording of him telling the heartbreaking story. Jul 25, 2009 harry was the last surviving british soldier to have served in the third battle of ypres the battle of passchendaele in which more than 70,000 british troops died.

Lance corporal henry john harry patch imperial war museums. But before he passed away at aged 111 and as britains oldest man, he finally opened up to military author richard van emden after the writer won his trust. Harry patch, 111, britains last survivor of wwi trenches. Harry patch, last british survivor of first world war. Harry patch first world war veteran obituary world news the. Called up for military service in 1916, he was trained as a machinegunner in the duke of cornwalls light infantry, british army. Battle of passchendaele 31 july 10 november 1917 also known as the third battle of ypres. On this day in 2009 great war veteran harry patch died aged an incredible 111 years. However at the age of 100, he began sharing his story of the war and would come to be known as the last fighting tommy. Harry patch harry patch photos 100th anniversary of the. The battle was fought for control of a village named passchendaele.

Jul 25, 2009 the battle lasted three months, gaining just five miles of ruined ground at the cost of more than 300,000 british casualties. See more ideas about battle of ypres, world war i and world war one. Jul 26, 2009 harry patch, the last of britains army veterans of world war i, is dead at 111. Jul 25, 2010 harry patch was britains last surviving world war i veteran. Harry patch left and charles kuentz right shake hands at ypres, two of the last british and german ww1 veterans, november 2004. Harry patch was conscripted into the duke of cornwalls light infantry at the age of 18 in 1916 and was badly wounded in the battle of passchendaele in 1917. Harry patch took part in the third battle of ypres, or passchendaele, but for decades, he did not speak of his service and what he had seen. The purpose of the battle was to wear out the enemy and to secure the belgian coast and connect with the dutch front lines. Ypres veteran harry patch, 110, launches poppy appeal. He appears in the 1901 census as a twoyearold boy along with his stonemason father william john patch 18631945, mother elizabeth ann nee morris 18571951 and older brothers george frederick 18881983 and william thomas 18941981 at a house called fonthill. He fought at the battle of passchendaele also known as the third battle of ypres and was injured in the groin when a shell exploded overhead at 22. Patch was wounded in 1917 at the third battle of ypres near the belgian village of passchendaele, which he remembered as mud, mud and more mud mixed together with blood.

He was the last surviving british soldier to have served in the trenches of the western front when he died and his face and voice have. In november 2004 british ww1 veteran harry patch, 106 years old, which would later become the last combat veteran, met with germanfrench veteran charles kuentz, 107 years old at the battlefields of passchendaele, where both men fought in the 1917 third battle of. Passchendaele is near the town of ypres in west flanders, belgium. Harry patch, britains last surviving soldier of the great. He was removed from the front line and returned to england on 23 december 1917. Harry patch, the last of britains army veterans of world war. Jul 25, 2009 mr patch, who was known as the last fighting tommy, was the last living soldier to have fought in bloody battle of passchendaele, at ypres, in 1917 in which more than 70,000 troops died. Nov 12, 2018 harry patch survived an artillery shell blast at the battle of passchendaele which killed three of his friends. The last surviving british veteran of the trenches visits the ypres salient, where he fought during world war one. He held the record for being the oldest man alive in the uk.

Sep 03, 2017 harry patch pictured was 19 when he was sent to fight in the battle of passcehendaele in belgium and was so traumatised by what he witnessed, he stayed silent for almost 90 years. The longest surviving tommy, harry patch, recovered from being injured during the battle of passchendale the third battle of ypres to live to the ripe old age of 111. The award was presented to patch on his 101st birthday. Harry patch was born in the village of combe down, near bath, somerset, england. Third battle of ypres was the name used by the british official history of the first world war. Battle of passchendaele simple english wikipedia, the free. Harry fought the germans then he fought fires mirror. Henry john harry patch 17 june 1898 25 july 2009, dubbed in his latter years the last fighting tommy, was a british supercentenarian, briefly the oldest man in europe and the last surviving soldier known to have fought in the trenches of the first world war. On september 22, 1917, during the battle of passchendaele in ypres, belgium, he was seriously. For almost 90 years, harry patch grieved in private after being traumatised from fighting in the battle of passcehendaele in the struggle against the germans for territory. Harry patch paid for a memorial stone himself and it was unveiled in 2008 but will now live at the museum simon louagiepa mr patch, from somerset, was the last british survivor of the first. Harry patch fought for three seemingly endless months, until the 22nd of september, 1917, when a shell exploded very close to him, killed three of his comrades and injured him seriously.

Harry patch memorial, langemark armistice in ypres and passchendaele 100 anniversary battlefield tour rifleman tours specialists in world war one and world war two battlefield tours. First battle of ypres, october 19november 22, 1914, first of three costly battles of world war i in western flanders. Patch arrived in france in 1917 where he had to fight german soldiers at the battle of passchendale also known as battle of ypres. Harry patch pictured was 19 when he was sent to fight in the battle of passcehendaele in belgium and was so traumatised by what he witnessed, he stayed silent for almost 90 years. Jul 25, 2009 mr patch was a machinegunner in the duke of cornwalls light infantry and fought during the battle of passchendaele, in ypres, which claimed the lives of more than 70,000 soldiers.

Patch struggled for years to tell that story, which he. Harry patch was conscripted into the duke of cornwalls light infantry at the age. Battle of passchendaeles last survivor passchendaele remembered. In october 1916, during world war i, he was conscripted into the.

Often referred to as the last fighting tommy, harry patch had served in flanders with the duke of cornwalls light infantry during the third battle of ypres in 1917. The harry patch memorial a simple stone recalling one of his visits to the area is based in the langemarkpoelkapelle municipality in belgium. Museum in belgium visited by harry patch facing uncertain. Jul 26, 2009 poppies fall around british world war i veteran harry patch in october 2007 at the launch of the royal britich legion poppy appeal. Harry patch s war came to an end on 22 september, 1917 when a german shell burst over the heads of his five man lewis gun team. Jul 25, 2014 on this day in 2009 great war veteran harry patch died aged an incredible 111 years. Poppies fall around british world war i veteran harry patch in october 2007 at the launch of the royal britich legion poppy appeal.