List of last surviving Canadian war veterans

1882 studio portrait of the (then) last surviving Six Nations warriors who fought with the British in the War of 1812: (left to right) John Smoke Johnson, John Tutela and Young Warner.

This is an incomplete list of the last surviving veterans of Canadian wars. The last surviving veteran of any particular war, upon his death, marks the end of a historic era. Exactly who is the last surviving veteran is often an issue of contention, especially with records from long-ago wars. The "last man standing" was often very young at the time of enlistment and in many cases had lied about his age to gain entry into the service, which confuses matters further.

There were sometimes incentives for men to lie about their ages after their military service ended.

War of 1812

• Sir Provo Wallis (1791–1892) — Canadian Army. Royal Navy. Also Napoleonic veteran.^[1]
• John Tutela (1797–1888) — Canadian Army. Six Nations chief.^[2][3]
• John Smoke Johnson (1792–1886) — Canadian Army. Iroquois chief.^[4][2]
• Young Warner (c. 1794–fl. 1882) — Native American who fought for Britain.^[2]

Rebellions of 1837

• François X. Matthieu (1818–1914) — Parti Patriote.^[5]
• Douglas Labalmondière (1815–1893) — Upper Canada Rebels.^[6]

Fenian Raids

• John A. Hammond (1843–1939)^[7]

Northwest Rebellion

• Honoré Jackson (1861–1952)^[8]

Boer War

• George Frederick Ives (1881–1993) — British army. Later emigrated to Canada.^[9]

World War I

1920 portrait of John Babcock, the last known surviving veteran of the Canadian military to have served in the First World War

• Henry Botterell (1896–2003) – Last pilot veteran.^[10]
• Charles Laking (1899–2005) – Last combat veteran.^[11][12]
• Dwight Wilson (1901–2007) — Last male veteran residing in Canada.^[13]
• Gladys Powers (1899–2008) — Last female veteran. Last residing in Canada.^[14]
• John Babcock (1900–2010) — Last Canadian veteran.^[15]

Spanish Civil War

• Jules Paivio (1915–2013) — Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion.
• Rosaleen Ross (1909–2008) — Nurse in International Brigade. Last female veteran.

References

1. Christie, Carl. "WALLIS, Sir PROVO WILLIAM PARRY". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
2. "Studio portrait taken in July 1882 of the surviving Six Nations warriors who fought with the British in the War of 1812". Library and Archives Canada. July 1882. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
3. Ontario Historical Society (1910). Ontario history,Volumes 9–12. New York City: Kraus Reprint Co. ISBN 978-0-217-52479-7.
4. Leighton, Douglas. "JOHNSON, JOHN". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
5. Lyman, H.S. (1900). Reminiscences of FX Matthieu 1. Portland: Oregon Historical Society.
6. Fido, Martin; Skinner, Keith (1999). The Official Encyclopedia of Scotland Yard. London: Virgin Books.
7. Hamilton, Bill (27 November 2002). "What’s Behind The Hammond Gate?". Bill Hamilton’s Tantramar Flashback. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
8. Mlazgar, Brian. "JACKSON, WILLIAM HENRY (1861–1952)". The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
9. Davies, David Twiston (1996). Canada from afar: the Daily telegraph book of Canadian obituaries. Toronto: Dundurn Group. pp. 1–3.
10. "Henry John Lawrence Botterell (1896-2003), First World War combat pilot". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
11. "Remembering the last Canadian combat veteran". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 28 November 2005. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
12. Oliver, Myrna (3 December 2005). "Charles Laking, 106; One of Last 5 Canadian Veterans of World War I". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
13. Goddard, John (10 May 2007). "Dwight Wilson, 106: WWI veteran". Toronto Star. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
14. The Province (24 August 2008). "Canada's oldest First World War vet dies". Postmedia News. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
15. Goldstein, Richard (24 February 2010). "John Babcock, Last Canadian World War I Veteran, Dies at 109". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 November 2010.