Last WW1 Merchant Marine Veteran Dies

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The last remaining merchant sailor from the First World War has died aged 107, his family have said.

Nicholas Swarbrick died peacefully last Thursday at the nursing home in Grimsargh, Lancashire ...

Mr Swarbrick served as a merchant seaman during the 1914-1918 conflict.

His nephew, Rodney Swarbrick, said : "We are coming to the end of an era.

"He was a remarkable man. He thought he had lived in the most exciting century the world has ever seen. He thought he had been lucky to live through a century of such unparalleled endeavour and achievement for mankind."

In an interview last year to mark Armistice Day, Mr Swarbrick said he could still recall the death of Queen Victoria as a boy and his memories of the war years lived on with him.

Born in Grimsargh, near Preston, he joined the Merchant Navy aged 17 and trained as a radio officer. German U-Boats took a terrible toll on Allied shipping, sending thousands of service personnel, and civilians, to a watery grave...

According to the National Archives there are three sailors from the Royal Navy, who served in the First World War, who are still alive, four soldiers, three members of the Royal Flying Corps and one member of the Royal Navy Air Service.
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RIP
 
greenlizard0 said:
107! Wow he lived in three different centuries! I'd loved to have heard some of his stories!
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Indeed

RIP he done a brave thing fighting for his country and the billions of other people who fighted back then and now i have up most respect for them.
 
RIP.

Served his country and lived to tell the tale..

Well done - much respect to him for it.
3 centuries - 2 world wars - god knows how many prime ministers.

Will be sad knowing there's not one of them left at the next Rememberance Day Parade. :(

Simon/~Flibster
 
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