William Frederick Stone (23 September 1900 – 10 January 2009) was one of the last five surviving

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

veterans who served in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

's armed forces and one of the last two surviving seamen worldwide, along with

Claude Choules Claude Stanley Choules (; 3 March 1901 – 5 May 2011) was an English-born military serviceman from Pershore, Worcestershire, who at the time of his death was the oldest combat veteran of the First World War from England, having served wit ...

. They were also the last two to have also served in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, although Stone saw action only in the Second World War as he was still in training when the First World War ended. Stone was born in Ledstone,

Kingsbridge Kingsbridge is a market town and tourist hub in the South Hams district of Devon, England, with a population of 6,116 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards bear the name of ''Kingsbridge'' (East & North). Their combined population at the abo ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

and enlisted in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

on his 18th birthday. He served on board shortly after the end of the First World War, before serving on a number of ships including . At the beginning of the

Stone was serving on the minesweeper HMS ''Salamander'' before moving onto the light cruiser 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 A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...

in London. He died on 10 January 2009.

Early life

Stone was born in Ledstone,

, as the tenth of fourteen children, and enlisted into the

on his 18th birthday. Two of his older brothers had already joined the navy, and a third was in the army. He had first tried to join up at the age of fifteen, walking three miles from where he was working on a farm, to

, to collect the attestation papers, but his father refused to countersign them.

Naval service

The first record of his naval service describes him as being tall, with a chest, brown hair and blue eyes, and his prior occupation as

stationary engine A stationary engine is an engine whose framework does not move. They are used to drive immobile equipment, such as pumps, generators, mills or factory machinery, or cable cars. The term usually refers to large immobile reciprocating engines, pr ...

driver. He trained as a Stoker in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, and could remember the dancing in the streets on

Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark Armistice of 11 November 1918, the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I a ...

. His first position was as a Stoker aboard the

battlecruiser The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of attr ...

, and by summer 1919 was at the main wartime Royal Navy base at

Scapa Flow Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern end in June 2009 Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay and ...

, here he was a witness to the scuttling of the German fleet. He remained in the navy after the war, serving on during the 1920s, including a round-the-world "Empire Cruise" showing the flag in British colonies from 1922 to 1924. By the outbreak of the Second World War he was Chief Stoker of the HMS ''Salamander''. On her he participated in the evacuation of

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Oxford Mail ''Oxford Mail'' is a daily tabloid newspaper in Oxford, England, owned by Newsquest. It is published six days a week. It is a sister paper to the weekly tabloid ''The Oxford Times''. History The ''Oxford Mail'' was founded in 1928 as a success ...

'': He served on the

Arctic convoys The Arctic convoys of World War II were oceangoing convoys which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern ports in the Soviet Union – primarily Arkhangelsk (Archangel) and Murmansk in Russia. There were 78 convoys ...

and in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

, and was also torpedoed twice. The second time was while serving aboard the

light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...

during the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It bega ...

, when it was torpedoed by the . Following temporary repairs in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, the ship limped across the Atlantic steering using only its two propellers, for full repair at the

Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

. He was

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

on 21 December 1943 for his service on this occasion. He served with the

occupation forces Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...

in north

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, and was a Stoker Chief Petty Officer when he left the navy in 1945. After the war, he ran his own barber's shop, where he also sold

cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opp ...

s and

smoking Smoking is a practice in which a substance is burned and the resulting smoke is typically breathed in to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, which have bee ...

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

, he retired in 1968.

Family

William married Lily Margaret E Hoskin (1908-1995) in Kingsbridge in June 1938 . The marriage lasted fifty-seven years until Lily's death in 1995. The couple had one daughter Anne. Anne married Michael J Davidson in Kensington, London in 1967. The couple had two children: Christopher and Susan.

Later life

Following the end of the Second World War in 1945, Stone left the Navy and ran his own barber's shop, where he also sold cigarettes and smoking tobacco. He retired in 1968 at the age of sixty-seven. By 1986 Lily's health began to decline, diagnosed with critical arthritis, the couple temporarily moved into Primley House in Paignton, before a more permanent move to Watlington in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, to be near their daughter, Anne, son-in-law Michael and their grandchildren, Christopher and Susan who lived in Buckinghamshire. As the years passed by, Lily became more crippled by her arthritis eventually being confined to a wheelchair, however Bill said that "mentally she was always bright. I was happy that she was able to stay at home and that I was able to look after her. At that time we had a cottage hospital – Watlington Hospital – where eventually she used to go each month to give us both a rest." Lily died in 1995, aged eighty-seven, leaving Bill a widower. The local community looked after him. "On my first Sunday at church following her death General Sir John Mogg and his wife, Margaret, who lived in the village, said to me 'William, you are to sit with us now.' As I got to know them better I found out that Lady Mogg's sister, Sarah MacKinnon, had been married to a naval man. He had, in fact, been Flag Lieutenant to Admiral

Evans Evans may refer to: People *Evans (surname) *List of people with surname Evans Places United States *Evans Island, an island of Alaska *Evans, Colorado *Evans, Georgia *Evans County, Georgia *Evans, New York *Evans Mills, New York *Evans City, ...

of the Broke in H.M.S. Carlisle at the same time as I had served in that ship on the Africa Station back in 1936!" He attended the sixtieth anniversary of the

Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...

s in 2000, outliving the Dunkirk Veterans' Association which disbanded after this commemoration. In 2005, Stone became Fox FM's Local Hero and Central Television's Personality of the Year. In his last years Bill attended reunions for HMS ''Hood'' and HMS ''Newfoundland'' in which he met up with fellow ''Hood'' survivor and veteran Ted Briggs (pictured together below). Bill commented: "Michael and Anne drive me to the annual re-unions of H.M.S. Newfoundland, H.M.S. Hood, and The George Cross Island Associations. At the 2005 Hood re-union I met Heinrich Kuhnt who is a survivor of the Bismarck, which sank the Hood in 1941. The President of the Association is Ted Briggs, now the only living survivor of that sinking, the other two having died since. At the Sunday church parade the Padre always encourages me to sing 'All the Nice Girls Love a Sailor!' which I do, but follow up with my favourite hymn, 'Abide with me'! I also try to attend the annual Hood memorial service at Boldre village church, near Lymington, which is usually held around the same time of the year." In 2006, Bill, as he was known had a fall and broke his hip at the age of 106. Due to his increasing old age, he was forced to leave Watlington, Oxfordshire and move into a retirement facility in Sindlesham, a suburb of Winnersh, which lies between Reading and Wokingham, in 2007. Stone's son-in-law, Michael Davidson issued a statement about his father-in-law's condition: "He had a fall and developed a small infection, so doctors gave him antibiotics which seem to be working. He is obviously being observed very closely because of his age, but we have no reason to believe his condition will worsen" On 11 November 2008, Stone along with fellow veterans, Henry Allingham and Harry Patch laid commemorative wreaths at the Cenotaph in London to mark the ninetieth anniversary of the end of the First World War. Stone died on 10 January 2009 at Lord Harris Court Care Home in

Sindlesham Sindlesham is an estate village in the borough of Wokingham in Berkshire, England. It is located around southeast of Reading and around west of the town of Bracknell, and just south of the village of Winnersh, from which it is separated by the M ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. His daughter described him as a "very determined character ..a man of great faith and his recipe for long life was: 'Clean living, contented mind and trust in God.' His motto: 'Keep going.'" His funeral was held on 29 January 2009 at St Leonard's Church, Watlington. In September 2009, memoirs detailing Stone's experience of the two world wars were published.

Medals

Stone received many medals in his 27-year career in the Navy. These included campaign medals and commemorative medals issued on anniversaries and commemorations. ;British Empire Campaign Medals * British War Medal BAR

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were struck in si ...

for the First World War 1914-1920 campaign ;British Commonwealth Campaign Medals * 1939-45 Star

1939-1945 Star for the Second World War campaign * Atlantic Star w clasp BAR

Atlantic Star The Atlantic Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to British Commonwealth forces who took part in the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous campaign of the Second World War. Two cla ...

(with clasp) for the Second World War Battle of the Atlantic campaign (clasp denotes entitlement to the 'France and Germany Star') *

Africa Star The Africa Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom on 8 July 1943 for award to British and Commonwealth forces who served in North Africa between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943 during the Second World War. Three clasp ...

for the Second World War Africa 1940-43 campaign * Italy Star ribbon

Italy Star The Italy Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to British Commonwealth forces who served in the Italian Campaign from 1943 to 1945, during the Second World War. The Second World War Stars On ...

for the Second World War 1943-45 campaign * Defence Medal ribbon

Defence Medal for the Second World War 1939-45 campaign * War Medal 39-45 BAR MID

War Medal 1939-1945 War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

(with Oak Leaf) for the Second World War 1939-45 campaign (Oak Leaf signifying a Mention in Despatches) *

Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (UK) ribbon

Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1848) The Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1848) is a long service medal awarded to regular members of His Majesty's Naval Service. It was instituted by Queen Victoria to replace the Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1830), and c ...

for 15 years or longer service with the Royal Navy ;Foreign Medals *

Malta George Cross Fiftieth Anniversary Medal Ribbon

Malta George Cross Fiftieth Anniversary Medal The Malta George Cross Fiftieth Anniversary Medal is a commemorative medal created by the government of Malta and awarded by, or in the name of, the President of Malta. Established on 17 January 1992, it could be awarded to individuals who met the ...

for qualifying service on Malta 10 June 1940 to 8 September 1943 * 40 years of victory rib

Jubilee Medal "Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of y ...

(for Arctic convoy service), also known as the Russian Convoy Medal 1941-1945 40th Anniversary Medal * 50 years of victory rib

Jubilee Medal "50 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of ...

(for Arctic convoy service), also known as the Russian Convoy Medal 1941-1945 50th Anniversary Medal. ;Commemorative Medals *

Dunkirk Medal The Dunkirk Medal (') is an unofficial commemorative medal created by the town of Dunkirk to commemorate the defence of the town and surrounding area during May and June 1940. The allocation of the award was managed bnationale des anciens comb ...

for Veterans of the Dunkirk Evacuation 1940 The Dunkirk and 50th Anniversary Russian commemorative medals are not officially recognised by

The Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

and should not be worn on formal occasions. However it is usual to wear official medals on the left chest lapel and have unofficial medals form a second row underneath. Bill Stone wore his medals in this manner.Bill Stone obituary, illustrated with him wearing his medals (Mirror website)
/ref>

Ships

The following is a list of the seagoing vessels on which Stone served. At various times he was posted to shore establishments for training or other duties. Smaller vessels were also officially assigned to a depot ship. * HMS ''Tiger''

Battle cruiser The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of attr ...

– 1919-1922 * Battle cruiser – 1922-1924 *HMS ''Chrysanthemum'' Sloop – 1925-1927 *HMS ''P40'' Submarine Chaser – 1928-29 * HMS ''Eagle'' Aircraft carrier – 1929-1931 *HMS ''Harebell'' Sloop – 1931-1933 *HMS ''Thanet'' Destroyer – 1933-1934 * HMS ''Tenedos'' Destroyer – 1933-1934 *HMS ''Carlisle'' Light cruiser – 1934-1937 *HMS ''Salamander'' Mine sweeper – 1937-1941 * HMS ''Newfoundland'' Light cruiser – 1941-1944

References

External links

World War I veteran in intensive care (Oxford Mail)

Imperial War Museum Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Bill 1900 births 2009 deaths Royal Navy personnel of World War I Royal Navy personnel of World War II English centenarians Men centenarians Recipients of the Legion of Honour People from Kingsbridge Royal Navy sailors People from Watlington, Oxfordshire People from Winnersh Barbers Military personnel from Devon