Charles Clarence "Clare" Laking (February 21, 1899 – November 26, 2005) was, at age 106, one of the last surviving

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

s of

the First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. At the time of his death he was believed to have been the last surviving Canadian veteran of the war to have fought on the front lines. He was born and raised in

Campbellville, Ontario Campbellville is a compact rural community in the Township (Canada)#Ontario, geographic township of Nassagaweya Township, Nassagaweya in the Milton, Ontario, Town of Milton, Ontario. It is on the Niagara Escarpment and is a tourist destination f ...

, and defied the wishes of his

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

father when he joined the Canadian field artillery in 1917. He served as a

signaller A signaller, signalman, colloquially referred to as a radioman or signaleer in the armed forces is a specialist soldier, sailor or airman responsible for military communications. Signallers, a.k.a. Combat Signallers or signalmen or women, are ...

on the front lines in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

for two years. He received the French

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

and a

Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal () or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was ...

. After the war, Laking worked in lumber until 1941, when he took over Danforth Wallboard and Insulation Ltd. He ran the company until his retirement in 1965. In his old age, he led an uncommonly active life. He went to every

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

game until he was 100, drove until he was 102, and walked a mile a day. Laking was married for many years to his wife Helen, who died in 1993. They had two children, Keith and Sheila. He died in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

at the

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (SHSC), commonly known as Sunnybrook Hospital or simply Sunnybrook, is an academic health science centre located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The hospital is the largest trauma centre in Canada. It is accredite ...

at the age of 106. In addition to his son and daughter, Laking was survived by four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

References

External links

Video of Charles Laking describing the Battle of Vimy Ridge

Audio recording, plus transcript, of Charles Laking describing his adventures
Canadian military personnel of World War I Recipients of the Legion of Honour Canadian Methodists People from the Regional Municipality of Halton Canadian men centenarians 1899 births 2005 deaths Canadian military personnel from Ontario {{Canada-mil-bio-stub