Bill Stone (Royal Navy sailor)
English Legion d'honneur recipient / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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William Frederick Stone (23 September 1900 ā 10 January 2009) was one of the last five surviving First World War veterans who served in the United Kingdom's armed forces and one of the last two surviving seamen worldwide, along with Claude Choules. They were also the last two to have also served in the Second World War, although Stone saw action only in the Second World War as he was still in training when the First World War ended.
Bill Stone | |
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Birth name | William Frederick Stone |
Born | (1900-09-23)23 September 1900 Ledstone, Devon, England |
Died | 10 January 2009(2009-01-10) (aged 108) Sindlesham, England |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | Royal Navy |
Years of service | 23 September 1918 ā 18 September 1945 |
Rank | Stoker Chief Petty Officer |
Unit | Included: HMS Tiger HMS Hood HMS Salamander HMS Newfoundland See full list below for all ships |
Battles/wars | First World War Second World War |
Awards | Mentioned in Despatches See full list below for details of campaign and commemorative medals awarded |
Other work | Barber |
Stone was born in Ledstone, Kingsbridge, Devon and enlisted in the Royal Navy on his 18th birthday. He served on board HMS Tiger shortly after the end of the First World War, before serving on a number of ships including HMS Hood. At the beginning of the Second World War Stone was serving on the minesweeper HMS Salamander before moving onto the light cruiser HMS Newfoundland in 1941. After the war, he ran his own barber's shop. In his later years Stone was present at many memorial services including the 90th anniversary commemorations at the Cenotaph in London. He died on 10 January 2009.