Delfino Edmondo Borroni (23 August 1898 – 26 October 2008), Knight of Vittorio Veneto, was, at age 110, Italy's oldest man, and the eleventh-oldest verified man in the world. He was the last veteran of the

Alpine Front The Italian front or Alpine front ( it, Fronte alpino, "Alpine front"; in german: Gebirgskrieg, "Mountain war") involved a series of battles at the border between Austria-Hungary and Italy, fought between 1915 and 1918 in the course of World W ...

in the

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 ...

, following the June 2008 death of the penultimate Italian

Francesco Domenico Chiarello Francesco Domenico Chiarello (5 November 1898 – 27 June 2008), Knight of Vittorio Veneto, was, together with Fernand Goux of France and seaman Claude Choules of England and later Australia, one of the last three soldiers to see action in bo ...

. The last

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

veteran,

Franz Künstler Franz Künstler ( hu, Künstler Ferenc, 24 July 1900 – 27 May 2008) was, at age 107, the last known surviving veteran of the First World War who fought for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Following the death of 110-year-old Ottoman veteran Yakup S ...

, died in May 2008. At the time of his death, there two other trench veterans survived: Britons Harry Patch and Frenchman Fernand Goux, who fought on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

. Borroni, a mechanic, was born in

Giussago Giussago is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 20 km south of Milan and about 11 km north of Pavia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 4,053 and an area of 24.8&n ...

, in the province of Pavia; he was called up in January 1917, and assigned to the

6th Bersaglieri Regiment The 6th Bersaglieri Regiment ( it, 6° Reggimento Bersaglieri) is an active unit of the Italian Army based in Trapani in Sicily. The regiment is part of the army's infantry corps' Bersaglieri speciality and operationally assigned to the Mechanized ...

in March. He first saw action in the

Pasubio Cima Palon, also called Monte Pasubio, is the highest peak of the Pasubio group of Little Dolomites in Veneto, Italy. It has an elevation of 2,239 metres. The Pasubio plateau is one of the most relevant Little Dolomites massifs, and it held ...

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

massif, where he fought against the

forces. He also fought in Valsugana and at Caporetto, where, after being shot in the heel while on a dangerous

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

mission, he was captured as an Austrian

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

and was forced to dig trenches until he managed to escape in the last days of the war. He was seriously wounded as a

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...

, a

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

driver, in an

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

air raid during

World War II 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 ...

. His death was noted in the news. The Italian Government's Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa attended the funeral.

References

External links

Official site

At age 106

Obituary in ''La Stampa''Article in Times
1898 births 2008 deaths People from the Province of Pavia Italian military personnel of World War I Italian supercentenarians Knights of the Order of Vittorio Veneto Men supercentenarians {{Italy-mil-bio-stub

See also

References

External links