George Frederick Ives
| George Frederick Ives | |
|---|---|
| Born |
17 November 1881 Brighton, England |
| Died |
12 April 1993 (aged 111 years, 146 days) British Columbia, Canada |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1899–1902 |
| Unit | Imperial Yeomanry |
George Frederick Ives (17 November 1881 – 12 April 1993) was a British-Canadian army veteran, who became known as the last surviving veteran of the Boer Wars.[1] Ives became known in the UK after a piece in the Peterborough Column in the Daily Telegraph (UK). His record as oldest British veteran, at 111 and 146 days, of any war was broken on 1 November 2007 by First World War veteran Henry Allingham.
Biography
Ives was born at Brighton, England.[1] The family worked for the Tidmarsh family. He worked in his father's workshop in Bristol until 1899.[2] That December, Ives was eager to enlist after hearing that the British had been defeated at Colenso, Magersfontein.[2]
In the Boer War, George fought with the Imperial Yeomanry, along with 122 other veterans, of the British Army in South Africa.[2]
Ives emigrated to Canada in 1903 with his father and purchased 160 acres (0.65 km2) of land for ten dollars.[3] He was rejected from service in World War I because of a heart murmur.[3]
In 1910, he married Kay Nelson.[3] The couple had three sons and three daughters.[3] Nelson disliked the hard life of the prairies, so the family moved in 1919 to White Rock, British Columbia.[3] Ives owned a farm there and eventually retired from it in 1941.[3] He looked and found another job because he said that his retirement was an excuse to change jobs. So until 1956, 15 years later, he worked in a shipyard building wooden scows, and confirmed his retirement.[3]
The couple had resided in that same house until 1984, until moving into a retirement home.[4] His wife died in 1987.[1] He attended the Albert Hall service on Remembrance day 1992 in England and met Queen Elizabeth and her mother; Margaret Thatcher, and Prime Minister John Major.[4][1] At the time, he was the last living allowed to wear a Queen Victoria Medal and raised a wreath at the memorial.[1] Ives died on 12 April 1993 at aged 111 years, 146 days in White Rock, British Columbia, Canada.[4]
Notes
Sources
- Davies, David T. (1996). Canada From Afar. Dundurn Press. ISBN 1-55002-252-0.