LEAVING...
A few years after its outbreak the World War I presented new features, different from any previous conflict. Soldiers began to call it "Great War". One of the reasons of this adjective was the amount of men, weapons and resources used. No other war had caused so many deaths.
It's hard to say the exact number of victims of the World War I. During the battles accurate accounts of the casualties were not always kept, and when they were, often they were lost in actions of the fight.
Therefore, the figures are not precise and represent only an approximate account of the losses of this conflict, country by country, considering only military casualties and not civilian ones.
A few years after its outbreak the World War I presented new features, different from any previous conflict. Soldiers began to call it "Great War". One of the reasons of this adjective was the amount of men, weapons and resources used. No other war had caused so many deaths.
It's hard to say the exact number of victims of the World War I. During the battles accurate accounts of the casualties were not always kept, and when they were, often they were lost in actions of the fight.
Therefore, the figures are not precise and represent only an approximate account of the losses of this conflict, country by country, considering only military casualties and not civilian ones.
This is a table in which are presented the casualties of the states most involved in the conflict. From it we can see that the total deaths are about 9,000,000, of which more than a million and a half in Germany and Russia. Russia also has the largest number of wounded, about 5,000,000, while Austria has the largest number of people missing, about 900,000 families have not been able to bury their loved ones.
No-one would have imagined the number of casualties of World War I. When World War I was declared there were street celebrations in most of Europe's capital cities. No-one would have predicted the terrible results of the trench warfare broken out in August 1914. No-one could have predicted the horrifying consequences of modern weaponry being used together with out-of-date tactics.
No-one would have imagined the number of casualties of World War I. When World War I was declared there were street celebrations in most of Europe's capital cities. No-one would have predicted the terrible results of the trench warfare broken out in August 1914. No-one could have predicted the horrifying consequences of modern weaponry being used together with out-of-date tactics.
This table illustrates the number of men mobilised and the percentage of their casualties. The highest percentages refer to Austria, Russia and France. From the table we can see that casualties in percentage of the whole war is 57 percent. Over half of the people involved in the World War I have been killed or wounded. This gives an idea of the dimension of the conflict.
...WITH NO RETURN
As we said World War I was the conflict that caused the highest number of deaths until that time. Among them, one of the most violent is Enrico Toti’s death. Enrico Toti (Rome, August 20, 1882 - Monfalcone, August 6, 1916) was a cyclist, Italian hero of the World War I. At the outbreak of World War I, Enrico Toti presented three applications for enrollment that were rejected. Toti decided, despite everything, to get on the bike and get to the front at Cervignano del Friuli. Here he was received as a civilian volunteer but one night he was stopped by the police and forced to return home. back in the battle between the sharpshooters cyclists, before being shot to death, railed against the enemies screaming "I do not die." was awarded the medal 'gold value.
Among those that survived, three veterans reached the considerable age of 110: the Australian Cloude Stanley Choules, the Italian Delfino Eduardo Borroni, the English Florence Green.
Claude Stanley Choules was an English Australian who was the last soldier of the World War I, and the last witness to the scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow. He was also the last veteran to have served in both world wars, and the last seaman from the World War I. He was the seventh-oldest living man in the world. Choules died in Perth, Western Australia, at the age of 110. In December 2011, the landing ship HMAS Choules was named to remember this brave sailor.
Delfino Edmondo Borroni was, at the age of 110 the oldest man in Italy and the eleventh oldest verified living man in this world.
He was also a relevant figure of the World War I, being the last veteran in the war who fought on the Alpine Front.
He died in October 2008, four months after the decease of Francesco Domenico Chiarello, another Italian war vet, and five months after the death of the last Austro-Hungarian soldier, Franz Kunstle.
Borroni was a mechanic. Born in Giussago (Pavia) in August 1898, he was called up in 1917, at the age of 18 and was assigned to the 6th Bersaglieri Bologna regiment. At first he saw the action in the Pasubio massif, fighting against the Austro-Hungarian army. Then he fought in Valsugana and at Caporetto where he was wounded in action. Shot in the heel he was imprisoned by the Austrian troops. He was obliged to dig trenches until he managed to escape some days before the end of the conflict.
He also took part in World War II as a civilian, working as a tramway driver. During this conflict he was seriously wounded in an Allied air raid.
His death in 2008 was commemorated by the Italian Government, particularly by the Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa who, deeply moved, attended his funeral.
The last surviving veteran of the World War I was Florence Green, an English woman. Florence was born on 19th February 1901 at Edmonton, in London. She joined the Women's Royal Air Force when she was only 17, and she worked as an officers' canteen steward. She served at RAF Marham and at Narborough airfield. In 1920 she married Walter Green, a railway worker, that died in 1975, after 55 years of marriage. In January 2010, she was given the award of being, at that time, the oldest living female veteran of World War I. On 19 February 2011 she celebrated her 110th birthday, becoming a supercentenarian. After the death of Claude Choules, another “World War I veteran”, Green became the last known living veteran of the World War I. Someone asked her: “How does it feel like to being 110?” and she answered, "Not much different to being 109". When she died, Green had a son and two daughters, four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. On 4 February 2012, at the time of her death, with 110 years and 350 days, Florence was the sixth-oldest person in the United Kingdom.
...WITH NO RETURN
As we said World War I was the conflict that caused the highest number of deaths until that time. Among them, one of the most violent is Enrico Toti’s death. Enrico Toti (Rome, August 20, 1882 - Monfalcone, August 6, 1916) was a cyclist, Italian hero of the World War I. At the outbreak of World War I, Enrico Toti presented three applications for enrollment that were rejected. Toti decided, despite everything, to get on the bike and get to the front at Cervignano del Friuli. Here he was received as a civilian volunteer but one night he was stopped by the police and forced to return home. back in the battle between the sharpshooters cyclists, before being shot to death, railed against the enemies screaming "I do not die." was awarded the medal 'gold value.
Among those that survived, three veterans reached the considerable age of 110: the Australian Cloude Stanley Choules, the Italian Delfino Eduardo Borroni, the English Florence Green.
Claude Stanley Choules was an English Australian who was the last soldier of the World War I, and the last witness to the scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow. He was also the last veteran to have served in both world wars, and the last seaman from the World War I. He was the seventh-oldest living man in the world. Choules died in Perth, Western Australia, at the age of 110. In December 2011, the landing ship HMAS Choules was named to remember this brave sailor.
Delfino Edmondo Borroni was, at the age of 110 the oldest man in Italy and the eleventh oldest verified living man in this world.
He was also a relevant figure of the World War I, being the last veteran in the war who fought on the Alpine Front.
He died in October 2008, four months after the decease of Francesco Domenico Chiarello, another Italian war vet, and five months after the death of the last Austro-Hungarian soldier, Franz Kunstle.
Borroni was a mechanic. Born in Giussago (Pavia) in August 1898, he was called up in 1917, at the age of 18 and was assigned to the 6th Bersaglieri Bologna regiment. At first he saw the action in the Pasubio massif, fighting against the Austro-Hungarian army. Then he fought in Valsugana and at Caporetto where he was wounded in action. Shot in the heel he was imprisoned by the Austrian troops. He was obliged to dig trenches until he managed to escape some days before the end of the conflict.
He also took part in World War II as a civilian, working as a tramway driver. During this conflict he was seriously wounded in an Allied air raid.
His death in 2008 was commemorated by the Italian Government, particularly by the Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa who, deeply moved, attended his funeral.
The last surviving veteran of the World War I was Florence Green, an English woman. Florence was born on 19th February 1901 at Edmonton, in London. She joined the Women's Royal Air Force when she was only 17, and she worked as an officers' canteen steward. She served at RAF Marham and at Narborough airfield. In 1920 she married Walter Green, a railway worker, that died in 1975, after 55 years of marriage. In January 2010, she was given the award of being, at that time, the oldest living female veteran of World War I. On 19 February 2011 she celebrated her 110th birthday, becoming a supercentenarian. After the death of Claude Choules, another “World War I veteran”, Green became the last known living veteran of the World War I. Someone asked her: “How does it feel like to being 110?” and she answered, "Not much different to being 109". When she died, Green had a son and two daughters, four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. On 4 February 2012, at the time of her death, with 110 years and 350 days, Florence was the sixth-oldest person in the United Kingdom.