Last WWI Veteran Florence Green Dies at 110
The last known female WWI veteran Florence Green has died at the age of 110.
Green who served in the war as part of the Women's Royal Air Force as a waitress in the "war to end all wars" died in her sleep on Saturday at her care home in King's Lynn, England. Green died just two weeks before her 111th birthday.
Born Florence Beatrice Patterson in London in 1901, she joined the Women's Royal Air Force at the age of 17.
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In 2010 it was announced that Green was the last remaining female veteran of the First World War. She has died the last known veteran of the war surviving both American veteran Frank Buckles who died last year at the age of 110, and Royal Navy Veteran Claude Charles who died last May in Australia.
In a 2008 interview, Green recalled her wartime experience saying that it was a time of hard work and joy, but adding that in many ways she had the time of her life.
The National World War I Museum in Kansas City paid tribute to Green in a wreath-laying ceremony on Wednesday evening.
Green's death as the last WWI veteran serves as a reminder that women played an instrumental role during the Great War.
Women across the world served at the home front and in battle zones providing vital services to the war effort. According to some estimates over 25,000 American women served in Europe during WWI.
"In a way, the last veteran should be a lady and someone who served on the home front is something that reminds me that warfare is not confined to the trenches," retired Air Vice-Marshal Peter Dye told The Associated Press.
"It reminds us of the Great War, and all warfare since then has been something that involved everyone. It's a collective experience … Sadly, whether you are in New York, in London, or in Kandahar, warfare touches all of our lives," Dye added.
Green leaves behind three children, several grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
