caption serviceyears laterwork branch death_date death_place birth_place allegiance unit image_size battles birth_date nickname rank signature image article_title name
john babcock in 1920 1916 -- 1918 following as an electrician , and later immigrated to the united the states , where he eventually enlisted in the united states first army . world war , he became trained canada 1868 canadian expeditionary force united states 18 february 2010 spokane america , washington , washington , united states of holleford , south frontenac , ontario , canada canada 1912 -lrb- post-world war i -rrb- 1868 -lrb- world war i -rrb- united states 146th canada -rrb- homeguard -lrb- usa -rrb- battalion -lrb- canada -rrb- young soldiers battalion -lrb- 200 world war i 23 july 1900 jack acting united states army -rrb- lance corporal -lrb- canadian army -rrb- sergeant -lrb- johnfbabcock.png john babcock 1920.jpg john babcock
 john babcock
john babcock

john henry foster `` jack '' babcock -lrb- july 23 , 1900 -- february 18 , 2010 -rrb- was , at age 109 , the last known surviving veteran of the canadian military to have served in the first world war and , after the death of harry patch , was the conflict 's oldest surviving veteran .
babcock first attempted to join the army at the age of fifteen , but was turned down and sent to work in halifax until he was placed in the young soldiers battalion in august 1917 .
babcock was then transferred to the united kingdom , where he continued his training until the end of the war .
having never seen combat , babcock did not consider himself a veteran and moved to the united states in the 1920s , where he joined the united states army and eventually became an electrician .
in may 2007 , following the death of dwight wilson , he became the last surviving veteran of the first world war who served with the canadian forces .
from that point he received international attention , including 109th birthday greetings from elizabeth ii , the governor general of canada and the canadian prime minister , until his death on february 18 , 2010 .
