Last WW1 veteran state funerals?, a possible poll among members

Hi all,

I do not know what influence have some members of this forum (website) with Romanian Ministry of Defence, and the War Veteran Associations, but I think we should start a petition on this topic. This idea is circulated in many circles of other countries like UK and Australia. For example, in UK there are left 11 WW1 veterans alive (all older than 100 years) and there are many voices asking for a state funeral for the last one. Mostly to symbolically acknowledge the passing of a generation that has contributed a lot to that country wellfare.

Why shouldn't we do this too? I have no idea how many WW1 veterans are left alive in Romania today, but they cannot be many. And, until the idea gains ground among governmental circles it would take sometime.

Counting on the enthusiam and knowledge of people on this website maybe the idea should propagate in Romania from this website. That's why, if the moderator agrees I popose to organize a poll among the members of this website on this topic.

Hence, I am waiting for your opinions on this subject. See today's Guardian article for a reference on this idea (www.guadian.co.uk).

Also, try to think of Romanian specific symbolisms that could accomplish such an event, like for example to bury this last WW1 veteran in the Marasesti complex along his former war-comrades.

I know that all this sounds a bit macabre and could be wrongly interpreted by some people, but all these proposals come in good faith.

Best regards to all

Given the fact that life expectancy in Rumania is much shorter than in the West (with about 10 years or so), I seriously doubt that there are any Rumanian W.W.1-era veteran still alive.

It's a very good idea; however, I am afraid we've missed the boat...

Gen. Dénes

This post has been edited by Dénes on December 11, 2005 04:29 pm

Personaly I know one WW1 vet...
Name:Neculai Cernescu.
Rank:Gen.(ret).
Born: 1905.
Living :Bucarest ,near the Opera.
Was sentenced to many years of hard labor by the comunists.
During WW2 was shoot in the hip and neck.
The best friend of my uncle (91 years old).

He fought as a soldier when he was 12 years old?

I believe any actual W.W. 1-veteran must be born in the XIXth Century (unless he lied of his age when enlisted).

Gen. Dénes

This post has been edited by Dénes on December 11, 2005 04:55 pm

He must have been 13-14 years old at the end of the war. How come that he is a WW1 veteran?

Yes he did!
And he has diplomas to prove it.
Actualy he was 13.
He was a "Cercetas" and fought against "Red Russians" in Moldavia for two years.
Also was wonded.
There's another ww1 vet near Bucharest (He was 103 two years ago),and I don't know if he's still alive.
I had a ww1 vet in my family -a plane rear gunner,Chiru Ion.
Died 94 in 1993.

About Cernescu,I may be wrong and he was born 1904....

I think that we could find more than one, even born before 1900. I agree with Denes that the life expectancy in Romania is shorter than UK, but in villages people have a more active and healthier life and possible live longer. I wonder how difficult would be to find this data and compile a short, very short list?!

Would c-2 friend be the last one?

I don't belive he's the last.

The (indeed very short) list of surviving W.W. 1-era veterans must be very accurate, to avoid potential embarassment, namely to find a living veteran after the 'last' one was officially burried with state honours.
A very good idea, though, which is worth pursuing. Perhaps it's not too late...

Gen. Dénes

This post has been edited by Dénes on December 11, 2005 05:25 pm

Two years ago i met a WW1 veteran in the Polovragi village, Gorj county. I don't know if he is alive anymore.

With regards surviving World War veterans (all Nationalities) please see this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surviving_Vet...First_World_War

Does not have a Romanian section though

Still make interesting reading.

Also this piece:

http://english.pravda.ru/news/science/04-03-2006/76874-war-0

Kevin in Deva.

Here is another interesting article regarding the topic on CNN Int'l:
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/0...n.ap/index.html

Excerpt:

Gen. Dénes

The last french ww1 veteran died this week. He had previously accepted a national funeral service. The last german veteran also died this year, in January.

Any news on the situation of Romanian ww1 veterans? Who was (is?) the las Romanian ww1 veteran? I really believe this topic should have received more attention from the authorities. The ww1 vets are _our_ "greatest generation", and their passing away should have received more attention.
Notice allso that this year will be the 90th anniversary of the end of the war. Maybe a chance for some commemorative events?

The French Presidency confirmed yesterday the date and place of Lazare Ponticelli PRIVATE funeral and a seperate PUBLIC homage ceremony.

It will be on Monday 17 march, at 11:00 in the St Louis Cathedral of the Invalides in Paris. An homage ceremony is also planned, in the afternoon at 15:30, still in the Invalides.

See the announcement of the French Presidence of Republic :

"Obsèques de M. Lazare PONTICELLI en la cathédrale Saint-Louis des Invalides et hommage national aux poilus de la Première guerre mondiale

Le Président de la République assistera lundi 17 mars 2008 à 11 h 00 aux obsèques de M. Lazare PONTICELLI en la cathédrale Saint-Louis des Invalides, à l'issue de laquelle des honneurs militaires seront rendus au dernier poilu français de la première guerre mondiale.

Un hommage national aux poilus se prolongera l'après-midi à 15 h 30. Le Chef de l’Etat dévoilera une plaque en mémoire de l'ensemble des combattants de la guerre de 14-18 sous le dôme des Invalides et prononcera à cette occasion un discours (place Vauban – Paris 7ème) aux côtés du monde combattant, de jeunes scolarisés et de nombreuses personnalités."

From the French Presidence of Republic website :
http://www.elysee.fr/documents/index.php?l...p;press_id=1169
PARIS:

Mon. Lazare Ponticelli.

France's last veteran of World War I, has died.

He was 110.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed "deep emotion and sadness" at Ponticelli's death, which Sarkozy's office announced in a statement Wednesday.

No cause or details of his death were given.

Only a handful of World War I veterans are still living, scattered from Australia to the United States and Europe.

Germany's last veteran from the conflict died on New Year's Day.

Ponticelli was born Dec. 7, 1897, in Bettola, a town in the foothills of the Apennines in the Emilia Romagna region of northern Italy.

To escape a tough childhood, Ponticelli trooped off alone at age 9 to the nearest railway station, 34 kilometers (21 miles) away in Piacenza, where he took a train to rejoin his brothers in France, eventually becoming a French citizen, according to the veterans' office in the Yvelines region west of Paris.

In the French capital, where he was when the war broke out, he worked as a chimney sweep and then as a newspaper boy.

Ponticelli decided to fight for France, because it had taken him in. He joined the Foreign Legion.

"It was my way of saying 'Thank you," he said in a 2005 interview with the daily Le Monde and officials from France's veterans' office.

May He

+ Rest In Peace +

Kevin in Deva