Florence Green: Last World War I Veteran Dies at 110

by Emily Sutherlin | February 7, 2012 at 09:42 am

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Florence Green, the last surviving WWI veteran, died in her sleep two weeks before her 111th birthday.

Mrs. Green passed away peacefully in her sleep at a care home in Norfolk. She was the last surviving person to have served in WWI following the death of British-born sailor Claude Choules in Australia last year.

During the First World War she worked at Narborough Airfield and RAF Marham, Norfolk, as an Officer's Mess steward.

Mrs. Green spent her war days working ''all hours'' serving officers breakfast, lunch and dinner and would often spend time wandering the base simply ''admiring the pilots''.

It was not until 2010 that she was officially recognized as a veteran after a researcher found her service record in Britain's National Archives.

Green died Saturday at the Briar House Care Home in King's Lynn, eastern England, two weeks before her 111th birthday, the home said.

Mrs Green leaves behind three children, four grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Her husband Walter, an army veteran who served in both world wars and a porter at King's Lynn station, died aged 82 in 1975, one of her daughters said.

Her youngest daughter, June Evetts, 76, who lives in Oundle, near Peterborough, told the Eastern Daily Press: "She led an amazing and extraordinary life. She must have seen a lot of changes in her time.

On her 109th birthday, Wing Commander Adrian Burns, and Hannah Shaw, one of RAF Marham's current mess stewards, visited her to present a birthday card.

When interviewed previously, Green had said, “I enjoyed my time in the WRAF. There were plenty of people at the airfields where I worked and they were all very good company. I would work every hour God sent but I had dozens of friends on the base and we had a great deal of fun in our spare time. In many ways I had the time of my life. I met dozens of pilots and would go on dates. I had the opportunity to go up in one of the planes but I was scared of flying. It was a lovely experience and I'm very proud.”