THE chairman of a Worcestershire district council has written a letter to Australia to congratulate a former Wyre Piddle man on becoming the last surviving Briton to serve in the First World War.

As previously reported in your Worcester News, 108-year-old Claude Choules took over the title from Harry Patch, who died aged 111 in July.

Mr Choules was born in Wyre Piddle, near Pershore, in 1901 and served on board HMS Revenge during the Great War before transferring to the Royal Australian Navy in 1926. Mr Choules, who has three children, 11 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren, now lives in a retirement village in Perth, Western Australia.

Andrew Dyke, chairman of Wychavon District Council, wrote to Mr Choules to congratulate him for the courage and determination which he has shown throughout his long life and to show he has not been forgotten in his place of birth. In the letter, Mr Dyke wrote: “It is my belief that stories such as yours inspire our young people of today and even though you are not the Wyre Piddle man you once were, to us you are still a local. On behalf of the residents of Wychavon, may I wish you continued good heath and happiness.”

Mr Choules, who was married to Ethel for 80 years until her death aged 98, initially lied about his age so he could join the Royal Navy as a 14-year-old in 1916.

He is now believed to be one of three surviving veterans from the First World War.

The other two are American Frank Buckles, 108, and Canadian John Babcock, 109, who both live in the United States.