List of last surviving veterans of military insurgencies and wars


This a chronological list of the last surviving veterans of military insurgencies, conflicts and wars around the world. The listed wars span from the 13th century BC to the Korean War.

Classical antiquity

Middle Ages

Muslim–Quraysh Wars">Military career of Muhammad#History">Muslim–Quraysh Wars (622–630)

[Norman conquest of England] (1066–1088)

Early modern period

These cases, particularly with respect to the ages claimed by the veterans, cannot be verified as it was common in pre-industrialised societies for elders to exaggerate their age.

17th century

[Indian Wars] (1622–1924)

[English Civil War] (1642–1651)

[First Anglo-Dutch War] (1652–1654)

18th century

[Great Northern War] (1700–1721)

[War of the Spanish Succession] (1701–1714)

[Jacobite risings] (1719–1745)

Polish Succession">War of the [Poland">Polish Succession] (1733–1738)

Russo-Turkish wars (1735–1774)

[French and Indian War] (1754–1763)

[Seven Years' War] (1754–1763)

[American Revolutionary War] (1775–1783)

[Inconfidência Mineira] (1789)

[French Revolution] (1789–1799)

[Irish Rebellion of 1798]

19th century

[Napoleonic Wars] (1803–1815)

  • Vincent Markiewicz – France. Claimed last Polish veteran. Known to have fought for Napoleon. However, in 1912 there were three Polish men who claimed to have fought at Borodino, but it is unlikely they were real veterans due to lack of documentation and improbable age ranges from 120 to 133.
  • Geert Adriaans Boomgaard – France. Last Dutch veteran and verified veteran. Europe's oldest man at the time of his death. He fought for Napoleon in the 33ème Régiment Léger.
  • August Schmidt – Prussia. Last surviving German and Prussian veteran of the conflict and also last surviving veteran of the battle of Waterloo of all nations participating. He fought in the Battle of Bautzen, Battle of Großbeeren, Battle of Dennewitz, Battle of Leipzig, Battle of Laon, and in the Battle of Waterloo.
  • Louis Victor Baillot – France. Last surviving French veteran of the Battle of Waterloo. Also saw action at siege of Hamburg.
  • Henry James – United Kingdom. Last Royal Navy veteran. Enlisted in 1812 and served on. Saw action off Toulon.
  • Lars Jespersen Kike – Norway. Last Norwegian veteran of the Swedish-Norwegian War.
  • Leonard Meesters – France. Last Belgian veteran. Fought for Napoleon.
  • Josephine Mazurkewicz – France. Last female veteran. Assistant surgeon in Napoleon's army. Later partook in the Crimean War.
  • Ferdinand Scharnhorst – United Kingdom. Last British Army participant of Waterloo. Served in the King's German Legion.
  • Gaspar Costela Vázquez – Spain. Last veteran of the Battle of Trafalgar. Served in the navy aboard the.
  • Vasilij Nikolaevich Kochetkov – Russia. Enlisted 7 March 1811. Served in Grenadier Lifeguard Regiment at Borodino. Served years until 12 October 1877 when wounded during service in the Russian-Ottoman War.
  • Emmanuel Louis Cartigny – France. Last French veteran of the Battle of Trafalgar.
  • Joseph Sutherland – United Kingdom. Served in the Royal Navy on and was the last British survivor of Trafalgar.
  • Joseph Higginson – United Kingdom. Served as Sergeant aboard HMS President during the invasion of Java. Last surviving soldier of the Battle and received NGSM.

[War of 1812] (1812–1815)

  • Hiram Cronk – United States. Served in a New York Infantry Regiment.
  • Lewis Tobias Jones – United Kingdom. Served in the Royal Navy on. Participated in the 1814 capture of. Also a Napoleonic Wars veteran.

[Seminole Wars] (1816–1858)

[Greek War of Independence] (1821–1832)

[July Revolution] (1830)

[Belgian Revolution] (1830–1831)

  • Johannes van den Boom – United Netherlands. Joined as a drummer boy at 14.
  • Corstiaan Hagers – United Netherlands. Last holder of the Metal Cross.
  • Alexandre Fournier – France.
  • Jean-Philippe Lavalle – Belgian Rebels.

[Black Hawk War] (1832)

  • Henry L. Riggs – United States.

Texas War of Independence">Texas Revolution">Texas War of Independence (1835–1836)

[Ragamuffin War] (1835–1845)

[Rebellions of 1837–1838]

[First Opium War] (1839–1842)

  • John Bubeer – United Kingdom. Served in the Royal Navy on.

[Mexican–American War] (1846–1848)

[Hungarian Revolution of 1848]

[Second Anglo-Sikh War] (1848–1849)

[First Schleswig War] (1848–1851)

[Crimean War] (1853–1856)

[Eureka Rebellion] (1854)

  • William Edward Atherdon — Stockade rebels.

[Indian Rebellion] (1857–1859)

  • Charles Palmer — British Empire. Nine-year-old boy who participated in the Siege of Lucknow.
  • George Chrystie — British Empire. Last British Army veteran.

[New Zealand Wars] (1845–1872)

[Second Italian War of Independence] (1859)

[Expedition of the Thousand] (1860–1861)

[American Civil War] (1861–1865)

Union">Union (American Civil War)">Union

Confederacy">Confederate States of America">Confederacy

  • William Daniel Townsend

French invasion of Mexico">Second French intervention in Mexico">French invasion of Mexico (1861–1867)

[January Uprising] (1863–1865)

[Second Schleswig War] (1864)

  • Ludwig Herman Klein – Denmark. Last Naval veteran. Served on the Geiser.
  • Ove Henning Jacobsen – Denmark. Last Army veteran. Fought at Dybbøl.

[Paraguayan War] (1864–1870)

[Fenian raids] (1866–1871)

  • Henry Bayles Hooke – Canada. Fought in the raid of 1866 at Ridgeway.
  • William Craig – Canada. Fought in the raids of 1870–71.

[Expedition to Abyssinia] (1867–1868)

[Franco-Prussian War] (1870–1871)

[Paris Commune] (1871)

[Third Anglo-Ashanti War] (1873–1874)

[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)]

[Second Anglo-Afghan War] (1878–1880)

  • Alfred Hawker – British Empire. Served in the British Army.

[Zulu War] (1879)

  • Harry Figg – British Empire.
  • Charles Wallace Warden – British Empire. Transferred to First Foot in 1874.
  • Frank Bourne – British Empire. Last survivor of Rorke's Drift.

[War of the Pacific] (1879–1884)

[First Boer War] (1880–1881)

[Anglo-Egyptian War] (1882)

[Mahdist War] (1882–1899)

[Nile Expedition] (1884–1885)

  • Edward Hyde Hamilton Gordon – British Empire. Last officer.

[North-West Rebellion] (1885)

[Second Franco-Dahomean War] (1892–1894)

[Cuban War of Independence] (1895–1898)

[War of Canudos] (1896–1897)

  • José Ciríaco de Santana – Canudos inhabitants.
  • Honório Vila Nova – Canudos inhabitants. Later served in the Revolt of Juazeiro.

[Spanish–American War] (1898)

[Second Boer War] (1899–1902)

[Philippine–American War] (1899–1902)

  • Nathan E. Cook – United States. Served in the Navy on.
  • Walter Pleate — United States. Served in the Army.

[Boxer Rebellion] (1899–1901)

  • Nathan E. Cook – United States. Served in the Navy.
  • Walter Pleate — United States. Served in the Army.

20th century

[Russo-Japanese War] (1904–1905)

[Macedonian Struggle] (1904–1908)

  • Christos Papantoniou – Greece.

[Potemkin Mutiny] (1905)

[Revolt of the Lash] (1910)

[Mexican Revolution] (1910–1920)

[Xinhai Revolution] (1911–1912)

[Italo-Turkish War] (1911–1912)

  • Michele Traini – Italy. Sent to Libya in 1912. Returned home following WWI.

[Balkan Wars] (1912–1913)

[Contestado War] (1912–1916)

  • Altino Bueno da Silva – Last rebellious child and witness of the slaughter.
  • Firmino Rodrigues Martim – Brazilian Army.

[World War I] (1914–1918)

[Easter Rising] (1916)

[October Revolution] (1917)

[Russian Civil War] (1917–1922)

Russian participants:
Veterans of Allied Intervention:

[Finnish Civil War] (1918)

Poland Uprising (1918–1919)">Greater [Second Polish Republic">Poland Uprising (1918–1919)]

[German Revolution of 1918–1919]

[Polish–Ukrainian War] (1918–1919)

[Estonian War of Independence] (1918–1920)

[Latvian War of Independence] (1918–1920)

[Lithuanian Wars of Independence] (1918–1920)

[Irish War of Independence] (1919–1921)

[Polish–Soviet War] (1919–1921)

[Silesian Uprisings] (1919–1921)

[Turkish War of Independence] (1919–1923)

[Rif War] (1920–1926)

[Coto War] (1921)

  • Reinel Cianca Gutiérrez – Panama.

[Copacabana Fort revolt] (1922)

[March on Rome] (1922)

[Irish Civil War] (1922–1923)

[Northern Expedition] (1926–1928)

[Cristero War] (1926–1929)

[Chittagong armoury raid] (1930)

[Brazilian Revolution of 1930]

[January 28 incident] (1932)

[Constitutionalist Revolution] (1932)

  • Alfredo Pires Filho – São Paulo. Last rebel Boy Scout messenger. Later trained Brazilian pilots during World War II.
  • Olimpio Martins Pires – Brazil. Served in the PMMG. Also participated in the Revolution of 1930.
  • Maria de Lourdes Pinto Picarelli – São Paulo. Last female rebel combattant.
  • Arlindo Leonardo Ribeiro – São Paulo. Last Barretos rebel combattant.
  • Zuleika Sucupira Kenworthy – São Paulo. Last Jundiaí rebel combattant.
  • José Mango – São Paulo. Last rebel veteran of the Battle of Gravi.
  • Natalino Antonio Augusto – São Paulo. Last Campinas rebel combattant.
  • Osvaldo Rafael Santiago – São Paulo. Last Itapetininga rebel combattant.
  • José Luiz Silveira – Brazil. Served in the BMRS. Last Battle of Cerro Alegre combattant. Also participated in the Revolution of 1923 and in the Revolution of 1930.

[Chaco War] (1932–1935)

  • Virgilio Dávalos Rey – Paraguay.
  • Canuto Gonzalez – Paraguay.
  • Juan Bautista Cantero – Paraguay.
  • Samuel Chuquimia Murillo – last known surviving Bolivian veteran.

[Long March] (1934–1935)

[Brazilian communist uprising of 1935]

[Spanish Civil War] (1936–1939)

[1936 Naval Revolt]

  • José Júnior Barata – Portuguese Navy rebels.

[World War II] (1939–1945)

[Korean War] (1950–1953)