In the early hours of Thursday, May 5, Australia’s remaining World War I war service veteran, Claude Choules, passed away at the age of 110.
Born in Pershore, England on May 3, 1901, Mr Choules joined the Royal Navy in 1916, and served on the HMAS Revenge, Flagship of the First Battalion Squadron in 1917.
While serving onboard Revenge, Mr Choules witnessed the surrender of the German Fleet at Firth of Forth in 1918, 10 days after the Armistice and later the scuttling of the German Fleet, by the Germans, at Scapa Flow.
Throughout 1926, after 10 years of service in the Royal Navy, he and 11 other Royal Navy senior sailors were sent to Australia on loan as instructors at Flinders Naval Depot.
Mr Choules took a liking to the Australian way of life, and joined the Royal Australian Navy permanently, becoming a commissioning crew member of HMAS Canberra and served in her until 1931.
During World War II, Mr Choules was the Acting Torpedo Officer, Fremantle and the Chief Demolition Officer on the western side of the Australian Continent.
As Chief Demolition Officer, Mr Choules had the task of destroying facilities and oil storage tanks in Fremantle Harbour, rendering them useless in the advent of a Japanese invasion.
Mr Choules remained in the Royal Australian Navy after World War II and transferred to the Naval Dockyard Police (NDP) until retirement in 1956.
Speaking on behalf of Claude Choules’ family, his daughter Anne said that her father was always proud of his involvement in the Navy.
“Dad was always proud of his Navy service and considered it his other family. We are grateful for the Navy’s continued association with the family and their recognition of our father’s life,” she said.
Having served in the major conflicts of our time, the passing of Claude Choules is also the end of an era.
Lest We Forget