Charlotte Louise Berry Winters (November 10, 1897 – March 27, 2007) was, at age 109, the last surviving female

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

veteran of The First World War.

Biography

She was born Charlotte Louise Berry in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

to Mackell and Louise Bild Berry. When the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

opened support roles to women, Charlotte and her sister, Sophie, joined in 1917. She served from 1917 to 1919 at the

Naval Gun Factory A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inc ...

in the

Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy. The Yard currently serves as a ceremonial and administrativ ...

as a clerk. By December 1918, more than 11,000 women had enlisted and were serving in support positions. In 1919, most of the

Yeoman (F) Yeoman (F) was an enlisted rate for women in the U.S. Naval Reserve during World War I. The first Yeoman (F) was Loretta Perfectus Walsh. At the time, the women were popularly referred to as "yeomanettes" or even "yeowomen", although the official ...

were released from the service. At that time she had attained the rank of Yeoman (F) Second Class in the

U.S. Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...

. Winters was able to return to the same position as a

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

. Winters served as a secretary, and retired in 1953. Winters helped to found the National Yeoman (F) Association in 1926 and served as its eighth commander in 1940 and 1941. She was active in the American Legion for 88 years. She died, aged 109, in a

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...

Boonsboro, Maryland Boonsboro is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States, located at the foot of South Mountain. It nearly borders Frederick County and is proximate to the Antietam National Battlefield. The population was 3,336 at the 2010 census. ...

and was buried with

full military honors A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards ...

at Mount Olivet Cemetery in

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...

. At the time of her death, she was the oldest living World War I veteran in the US, leaving only three living World War I female veterans left in the world, then-108-year-old

Gladys Powers Gladys Stokes Luxford Powers (10 May 1899 – 15 August 2008) was thought to be, at age 109, the last female veteran of the First World War following the 27 March 2007 death of fellow 109-year-old Charlotte Winters from the US. However the subs ...

, 107-year-old

Ivy Campany Ivy Lillian Campany (23 September 1901 – 19 December 2008) was, at the age of 107, the penultimate World War I female military veteran of any country. The last was Florence Green (1901–2012), who was not identified as a veteran of the confli ...

and 106-year-old

Florence Green Florence Beatrice Green (''née'' Patterson; 19 February 1901 – 4 February 2012) was an English woman who at the time of her death was thought to have been the last surviving veteran of the First World War from any country. She was a member of ...

, who served for 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 ...

References

External links

Portrait Exhibit Puts Face on First World WarLast Known Yeoman (F) Laid To Rest
(Charlotte Louise Berry Winters) 30 March 2007.

Article from the

.
New York Times ObituarySFGate obituaryBaltimore Sun obituary
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winters, Charlotte 1897 births 2007 deaths American centenarians People from Washington, D.C. People from Washington County, Maryland Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Frederick, Maryland) Women centenarians Yeoman (F) personnel

Biography

See also

References

External links