The last surviving soldier of the first world war, Harry Patch died when he was 111 years, 1 month, 1 week and 1 day old...
...on the 25th July 2009 ...five years ago today...
"With a handshake we said more about peace than anything else ever could"
Harry Patch vowed that he would never return to the
battlefields but when the First World War veteran met an old enemy in
Ypres, the two formed an unlikely bond. Olga Craig reports from 14 Nov 2004
Three weeks ago, Harry, who fought at Passchendaele in 1917
and is one of only 20 surviving British First World War veterans, made
the long journey to the western Belgian town of Ypres to meet Charles
Kuentz, 107, Germany's only living Great War survivor. It was a poignant
and emotion-filled moment for both men when, amid the green fields that
now mark the site of the third battle of Ypres, one of the bloodiest
battles, they hesitantly shook hands: two former foes forging a new
friendship, 87 years after they fought on opposite sides.
After the meeting, Harry, who lives in a nursing home in
Wells, Somerset, received a letter from Mr Kuentz, which, he believes,
sums up the pact of friendship, borne of shared memories, that now
exists between them. "Shaking your hand was an honour," wrote Mr Kuentz,
"and with that handshake we said more about peace than anything else
ever could. On Sunday, I shall think of you, old comrade."
If you do nothing else today, find a quiet moment and watch this:
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| "Front Line" collage/mixed media © Maddy Pikarsky http://www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk/maddy-pikarsky/artwork/53322 |
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A German prisoner of war lights the cigarette of a British soldier, World War I.
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| "Love One Another" Cornwall photograph © Maddy Pikarsky |
....please....??
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WW1 Centenary: 4th August 2014
