William "Duke" Procter (August 18, 1899 – December 14, 2005) was a Canadian veteran of 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 ...

and the last remaining veteran of that war from western Canada. At the time of his death, there were only three known remaining Canadian World War I veterans. He was born in

Mabel Lake Mabel Lake is a lake located in southern Interior British Columbia, Canada, that is fed by and drained by the Shuswap River. It is located southeast of Shuswap Lake, northeast of Okanagan Lake, and west of the Monashee Mountains, and is popular fo ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, where he learned at an early age how to drive horses and haul wood. He joined the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

in 1916, went to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

as a member of the 172nd Rocky Mountain Rangers Infantry and was put to work cutting timber for use on the front lines in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

because, at 16, he was considered too young for active duty. After his discharge, he returned to Mabel Lake, where he continued to work at logging, and later settled on a farm. After his retirement at the age of 67, he moved to

Vernon, British Columbia Vernon is a city in the Okanagan region of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is northeast of Vancouver. Named after Forbes George Vernon, a former MLA of British Columbia who helped establish the Coldstream Ranch in nearby ...

. Procter held the record as being the oldest person ever to compete in the ''Canadian

Horseshoe A horseshoe is a fabricated product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toen ...

Championships'', participating in 1997 and 1998, and celebrated his 100th birthday by

skydiving Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or parachutes. For ...

. He continued to drive his own car until the age of 101. He moved into a senior's home at 105 after a fall left him less mobile. He received the

Queen's 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 ...

in 2004. He died at Oakside Manor residential care facility in

Enderby, British Columbia The City of Enderby is in the North Okanagan region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, between Armstrong and Salmon Arm. It is approximately 80 km north of Kelowna and 130 km east of Kamloops. Highway 97A passes through En ...

at the age of 106.

External links

CBC News storyVeterans Affairs Canada page
1899 births 2005 deaths Canadian Army soldiers Canadian centenarians Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers Men centenarians People from the Regional District of North Okanagan Canadian military personnel from British Columbia {{Canada-mil-bio-stub