Florence Green, Last Surviving WWI Vet, Dies at 110

Florence Green, the world’s last known surviving veteran of World War I, died in her sleep Saturday at the Briar House Care Home in King’s Lynn, eastern England. She was 110.

According to ABC news, Green, who died just two weeks before her 111th birthday, joined the Women’s Royal Air Force (WRAF) on September 13, 1918 and served as waitress at an air base in eastern England until WWI ended just a few months later.

Prior to her death, Florence Green spoke of her war days in an interview with the Telegraph:

“I enjoyed my time in the WRAF,” said Green, who was just 17-years-old when she served in World War I. “There were plenty of people at the airfields where I worked and they were all very good company. I would work every hour God sent but I had dozens of friends on the base and we had a great deal of fun in our spare time. In many ways I had the time of my life. I met dozens of pilots and would go on dates. I had the opportunity to go up in one of the planes but I was scared of flying. It was a lovely experience and I’m very proud.”

Though Green never served on the front line, Retired Air Vice-Marshal Peter Dye, director-general of the RAF Museum, said it was fitting that the last survivor of the first global war was someone who had served on the home front.

“In a way, that the last veteran should be a lady and someone who served on the home front is something that reminds me that warfare is not confined to the trenches,” Dye said.

“It reminds us of the Great War, and all warfare since then has been something that involved everyone. It’s a collective experience … Sadly, whether you are in New York, in London, or in Kandahar, warfare touches all of our lives.”

A year after leaving the WRAF, Florence married Walter Green, a railway porter; they were married for 50 years before Walter died in 1970.

Florence Green is survived by two daughters, a son and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

via Telegraph.co.uk