Films, and such.

For a moment i couldn't figure out what to say.

Today's post is about the late Mr Harry Patch. Mr Patch passed away on the 25th of July this year, at the grand age of 110. He was considered a really special man, and special for a reason. Before his death, he was the last trench veteran to have fought in the First World War.

Mr Patch was born in 1898, to a stonemason father. In 1916, the apprentice plumber was drafted into the army and entered the european front eight months later. He served in the front line for six months, before being removed from service after an injury from an exploding shell.

After his war experience and the end of the war, he worked as a plumber. By the time the Second World War came around, he was too old to serve, but still did his part as a fireman and was conferred the Defence Medal.

During his lifetime, Mr Harry Patch married thrice. First in 1918, until his first wife passed away in 1976. He remarried again, only to see his wife pass on before him again in 1984. His last partner passed away in 2007.

He remained silent about his war experience for much of his life, before finally appearing on a televison programme in 1998. Once cast into the public spotlight, Mr Patch was given his due recognition for a heroic life and used much of his new-found publicity for good causes, such as opening monuments or raising awareness for causes.

I wonder what he thought of the world and how it has changed. If he thought fighting in a war was worth it. I guess i could ask him a hundred things, all complex and complicated, but it would be pointless. He sounds like a simple man, who had an extraordinary life. We all move on, but it takes someone special to leave a mark.

A remarkable life, befitting a remarkable man. They don't make them like they used to.