Beaten The Odds

[caddyman]

Today is the 109th birthday of Britain's last known surviving Tommy from The Great War, Harry Patch.


Mr Patch served with the Duke of Cornwall's light infantry and saw action in the bloody Battle of Passchendaele in 1917.
BBC story here. It is a sobering thought that at 109, Harry Patch's odds of living for one more week are higher than they were on his 19th birthday in 1917.

Harry Patch's Wikipaedia entry is here.

Happy birthday, Harry.

Comments

[itsjustaname.livejournal.com]

Good lord. Happy birthday Harry, hope there's plenty of cake!

[agentinfinity.livejournal.com]

I think this was the guy they had on the news before the Iraq war, pleading with the government not to start. Made me cry.

[failing-angel.livejournal.com]

Well said, and indeed, blimey.

There was a piece in the Guardian or Indy last week about Mr Patch (it was as part of someone's column) but they pointed out that we're (relatively) soon going to have people of an old age without half as impressive experiences - something about "Oh yes, when I was young we had to endure only four channels on tv".

[fencingsculptor.livejournal.com]

Hear! Hear!

Happy Birthday Harry!

Thanks for posting I'd have missed this otherwise.