Veteran, 107, is last man to serve in both world wars (From Worcester News)

Veteran, 107, is last man to serve in both world wars

1:50pm Saturday 8th November 2008 in News

A 107-year-old man who was born in Wyre Piddle, near Pershore, is the last surviving veteran in the world to have seen action in both world wars.

Claude Choules lied about his age so he could join the Royal Navy as a 14-year-old in 1916.

He served aboard HMS Revenge and witnessed the surrender of the German Imperial Navy in 1918.

In 1926 he transferred permanently to the Royal Australian Navy after a spell as an instructor at a naval depot.

During the Second World War, Mr Choules was an acting torpedo officer and chief demolition officer on the western side of the Australian continent in the event of a Japanese invasion.

He was later transferred to the Naval Dockyard Police (NDP) with which he served until his retirement aged 55.

He now lives in Perth.