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The Last Fighting Tommy: The Life of Harry Patch, the Only Surviving Veteran of the Trenches

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Harry Patch, the last British soldier alive to have fought in the trenches of World War I, is now 108 years old and one of very few people who can directly recall the horror of that conflict. Harry vividly remembers his childhood in the Somerset countryside of Edwardian England. He left school in 1913 to become an apprentice plumber but three years later was conscripted, serving as a machine gunner in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. Fighting in the mud and trenches during the Battle of Passchendaele, he saw a great many of his comrades die, and in one dreadful moment the shell that wounded him killed his three closest friends. In vivid detail he describes daily life in the trenches, the terror of being under intense artillery fire, and the fear of going over the top. Then, after the Armistice, the soldiers’ frustration at not being quickly demobbed led to a mutiny in which Harry was soon caught up.

World War II saw Harry in action on the home front as a firefighter during the bombing of Bath. He also warmly describes his friendship with American GIs preparing to go to France, and, years later, his tears when he saw their graves. Late in life Harry achieved fame, meeting the Queen and taking part in the BBC documentary The Last Tommies, finally shaking hands with a German veteran of the artillery, and speaking out frankly to Tony Blair about the soldiers shot for cowardice in World War I. The Last Fighting Tommy is the story of an ordinary man’s extraordinary life.

Reader’s Reviews

The Last Tommy is a great old guy
This is a great book about a 108 year old man who fought in the trenches of WW1. This is basically the man’s life story. He was born in Combe Down in June 17, 1898. The place is built over an underground quarry, many of the homes subside. He apprenticed as a plumber and was about 2 years into his apprenticeship when he was called up. He served until March of 1919, which was after his “for the duration” was up. He worked as a plumber until he retired at 65. He did take a brake for WW2, serving as a fireman in his home town. Harry was married to a girl (Ada) he met on convalescent leave. They married after the war was over. The marriage lasted almost 60 years until Ada’s death of a stroke in the 1970’s. Harry married again, his second wife died of cancer. Harry also took over care of his neighbor and life long friend’s wife after his friend died. Harry didn’t mention WW1 until his 100th birthday (roughly) when people all over started asking about it. One thing that I liked about the book is Harry’s life long work as a practical joker. When he was working in WW2, he told the inspector that the customer was deaf and he needed to shout to her. He also told the customer that the inspector was deaf and she needed to shout to him. They worked it out pretty quickly…

My 90 year old WW2 veteran father also read and really liked this book. He especially liked the part where Harry said that instead of drafting the kids, they should have given the politicians machine guns and let them go at it.