Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Harry Patch, Last to Fight in the Trenches


Harry Patch, British World War I Veteran, is the last "Tommy" who fought in the trenches. He is 110 years old. He is the last survivor of the Battle of Passchendaele, which waged for three months and left a Half-Million Allied soldiers dead or wounded. Harry and four others were hit when a German shell exploded- Harry was one of two who survived.

For 80 years, he never watched a War film, never spoke of the War, not even to his family. Only after he turned 100 did he finally recount the horrors he experienced. 90 years later, he still has nightmares about the trenches and losing his friends. Hearing him talk of it, you can see a sadness about him as if it happened yesterday. To him it DID happen yesterday.

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