William Evan Allan
 |
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - The last Australian veteran to see
active service in World War I has died at age 106, government officials said Tuesday (18 October 2005).
William Evan Allan enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy at the outbreak of the war when he was just 14. He served
as a seaman on the HMAS Encounter from 1915 to 1918.
"With his passing, we have lost an entire generation who left Australia to defend our nation, the British
Empire and other nations in the cause of freedom and democracy," Veteran Affairs Minister De-Anne Kelly said
in a statement.
"Mr. Allan was just a boy when he went to war, much younger than most. His sacrifice is remembered and we
honor him for his service," she said.
Allan, born in the southeastern town of Bega in July 1899 and a resident of Melbourne, also was Australia's sole
surviving veteran of both world wars. In World War II, Allan served on an armed merchant cruiser and as pier master
of a naval base.
He died Monday night, Kelly said. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Allan sailed in the Pacific and Indian oceans escorting troop ship convoys. His ship, the Encounter, also took
part in the search for the German raider Wolf, which caused havoc with Allied shipping in the region, the statement
said.
He served in the Royal Australian Navy for 34 years, retiring in 1947 with the rank of lieutenant, before becoming
a farmer.
John Campbell Ross, 106, a wireless operator who enlisted in 1918 while Australia was still involved in the war
but never left Australia is now considered Australia's only surviving World War I veteran, Kelly said.
Allan was survived by his daughter and two grandchildren. Authorities in Victoria state said he would be given
a state funeral, but no date was immediately set. |