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

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) 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 ...

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

s of the First World War. 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 geographic township of Nassagaweya in the Town of Milton, Regional Municipality of Halton, Ontario, Canada. It is on the Niagara Escarpment and is a tourist destination for residents of the Gre ...

, and defied the wishes of his

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

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

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for two years. He received the French

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

and a

Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'or de la Reine Elizabeth II) or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

. 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. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

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 ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

at the

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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 centenarians Men centenarians 1899 births 2005 deaths Canadian military personnel from Ontario {{Canada-mil-bio-stub