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How to Mark Passing of Last WW 1 Vet?

The Bread Guy

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Canada's three remaining First World War veterans are: Lloyd Clemett, 106; Percy Dwight Wilson, 105, and; John Babcock, 105. Time marches on, and these questions are starting to pop up (shared, as usual, in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions of the Copyright Act)...

http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=bd708c28-ed42-4bf8-8792-550f61f3c23b

Legion urges proper honours for final First World War veteran
'Significant commemoration' sought as 3 vets left
 
Jennifer Campbell, The Ottawa Citizen. Monday, May 22, 2006

''The Royal Canadian Legion wants the government to host a "significant commemoration" when the last of Canada's First World War veterans dies. The Legion won't go so far as to call for a state funeral, but it wouldn't object to such a move, said Bob Butt, spokesman for Canada's largest veterans organization.

With the November death of Clare Laking, the number of known First World War veterans still living is down to three. Lloyd Clemett, 106, lives at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre's veteran's wing in Toronto. Percy Dwight Wilson, 105, lives in a retirement home in Oshawa and John Babcock, 105, lives at home, in Spokane, Wash. with his wife, Dorothy.

Given the dwindling numbers, and the advanced ages of the remaining three, the topic of what to do when the last First World War veteran passes away has been on the minds of decision-makers at Veterans Affairs.

Janice Summerby, spokeswoman for Veterans Affairs, called the question timely "given the number of veterans we lost in the latter part of 2005." In addition to Mr. Laking, who died in November, at 106, William "Duke" Procter, of Vernon, B.C., died in December at 106 and Lazare Gionet, of New Brunswick, died in April, just shy of his 109th birthday.

Ms. Summerby said Veterans Affairs has been weighing the question since Canada's last Victoria Cross recipient, Ernest Alvia "Smokey" Smith, died in August and was laid in state on Parliament Hill. Mr. Smith received a hero's farewell that saw people waiting in line for as many as three hours to pay their final respects ....  Mr. Smith's tribute represented the first time a non-commissioned officer was honoured with the ritual of lying in state on Parliament Hill. It's a distinction usually reserved for former prime ministers, though the Unknown Soldier, whose remains were brought back to Canada from Vimy Ridge in 2000, was an exception.

"It's a question we have been considering, particularly seeing how the lying in state and funeral for Smokey Smith caught the sympathies of the public," Ms. Summerby said. "Canadians seemed to appreciate the chance to pay their respects and honour his service."

But with respect to the last First World War veterans' service, a decision hasn't been made. "It is fair to say it is on our minds, but not planned," Ms. Summerby said.

She said her department has met with the "main" veterans' organizations, and representatives from the Canadian Forces and Canadian Heritage to come up with a plan, but the minister's office has yet to approve it. And when that happens, the public probably still won't find out about it because the parties have agreed not to publicize any specifics in advance of the passing of the last veteran.

"We want to be sensitive to the surviving families of all three, and to the occasion of their losses," Ms. Summerby said. "All I can say is we want to mark the passing of the remaining veterans appropriately and offer an opportunity for Canadians to mark the time when we no longer have Canadian First World War veterans living among us. It will be the end of an era -- the loss of our living history."

What to do with the last First World War veteran is also a question in Britain, where a campaign for a state funeral recently received government backing. Such a commemoration, dubbed "a national day of mourning and celebration" by British MP Iain Duncan Smith, would include a lying in state and then a service attended by the Queen. It would be the first time a person who lived in relative anonymity received such an honour. The First World War Veterans' Association in Britain is also suggesting a national holiday so schoolchildren of the future will remember the sacrifices.

Ms. Summerby said any plans Veterans Affairs makes would have to be vetted with the last soldier's next-of-kin.

Mr. Clemett's niece, who sees him regularly, said Mr. Clemett had always thought he'd have a military service at the veteran's wing where he lives. As for Mr. Wilson, his son, Paul, isn't sure what he'd like because it wasn't something they'd discussed. And it's not something he's prepared to raise with his father at this point.

"It never occurred to me that they might do something like that," Paul Wilson said. "But I wouldn't have any great objection."

Mr. Wilson's story is interesting because he was only discovered as a First World War veteran a couple of years ago when his recreational therapist requested he receive a Queen's Jubilee Medal after reading about Mr. Laking receiving one.

Mr. Babcock, who has spent the bulk of his long life in the U.S. and even served with the U.S. navy during the Second World War, could not be reached for comment.''
 
From the Soldiers of the First World War Database (http://www.collectionscanada.ca/02/02010602_e.html):

115624  Lloyd Clemett
Attested for the 93rd Battalion, transferred to the 109th before sailing overseas.

Date of birth - 10 January 1898
18 years old on enlistment on 31 January 1916.
Born on Toronto, living in Peterborough when enrolled.
Next of kin listed was brother Albert, who was already serving with the 21st Bn, CEF.

Attestation paper:
http://data2.archives.ca/cef/ren2/025052a.gif
http://data2.archives.ca/cef/ren2/025052b.gif


339995 Gnr. Percy Dwight Wilson
Attested to the 69th Battery, CEF.

Date of birth - 26 February 1900
16  years old on enlistment on 11 July 1916.
Born and living in Toronto at time of enrolment.
Prior service (9 months) with the 9th Mississauga Horse.

Attestation paper:
http://data2.archives.ca/cef/gpc018/678778a.gif
http://data2.archives.ca/cef/gpc018/678778b.gif


835571 John Babcock
(The Soldiers of the First World War database lists five John Babcocks, the following is from the attestation paper of the one born in 1900, matching the age of 105 given in the news article above. - John Henry Foster Babcock)
Attested for the 146th Overseas Battalion, CEF.

Date of birth - 23 July 1900
18  years old on enlistment on 4 February 1916.
Born at Lober Township, Ontario; enrolled at Sydenham.

Attestation paper:
http://data2.archives.ca/cef/well1/218225a.gif
http://data2.archives.ca/cef/well1/218225b.gif
 
Provided, of course, that his family agrees I would favour a full state funeral, plus.

We can and should, I think, exploit the occasion to do a little ‘live’ history teaching – flooding the airways (and pod casts) and print media and blogs, too, with a national act of remembrance and with some ‘legend making’.  We need to remind Canadians that Canada was, indeed, ‘born’ at Vimy Ridge and that it came of age in and in the aftermath of World War II when we eclipsed the efforts of larger, richer, more powerful nations in destroying one of the greatest evils in world history and in emasculating one of the others (the USSR).
 
When the last WW1 vet does pass, god forbid, I think that there should be a state funeral because these men fought in one of the greatest wars ever fought in history and to not have the entire nation remember them would be a disgrace upon this country. My thoughts go out to these remaining veterans and I hope they will stay with us for a while yet. :salute:
 
I dunno - I don't think I'd want to be the last veteran knowing there was a Death Watch hanging over me - and a huge observance that I would not get to see. And if the fellow who served with the USN and lived most of his life in the US is "the one", isn't that a little awkward? What if he wants to be buried in the US - we're gonna haul him up here for a state funeral?

Perhaps the passing could be marked by the award of an annual grant or something in the man's honour. Would be more appropriate - perhaps an annual university grant for descendants of First World War veterans serving in the cadets or CF or something?  Focus on living (ie his name will live on as part of the grant) rather than the dying.

Naming a building or structure or even a piece of equipment would be good too. Babcock Armouries,  HMCS Percy Wilson or the Clemett Fire Support Vehicle or somefink.
 
Hello Everyone,

The Dominion Institute is calling on the federal government to offer the family of the last Great War veteran resident in Canada a full State Funeral. The Institute is now collecting signatures on an online petition which it will present to the Prime Minister.

Please sign and forward to your colleagues, friends and family:

http://www.dominion.ca/petition/
 
While I agree with the gesture, I'm very much creeped out with all this activity surrounding the future deaths of the last three Canadian WWI vets.  What I'd like to know is how do these last three men feel about this petition to the Government? I'm somewhat dismayed that rather enjoying and celebrating their centenary plus 5-6 lives, we are discussing their deaths as if they have already occurred.  Hence the creep factor.  

What do these men want done at their funerals?  And why just the last one? There must be some merit in being the last 3 of thousands of Canadians who fought in the Great War to warrant all of them receiving a state funeral?
 
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