Francesco Domenico Chiarello (5 November 1898 – 27 June 2008), Knight of Vittorio Veneto, was, together with Fernand Goux of France and

seaman Seaman may refer to: * Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew * Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies * Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name) * ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...

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 ...

of England and later Australia, one of the last three soldiers to see action in both World Wars. Chiarello was also one of the last two surviving Italian and

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 ...

veterans 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 ...

, along with fellow 110-year-old Delfino Borroni. Called up in 1918, he enlisted in the

Castrovillari Castrovillari ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. Geography Castrovillari lies in the north of Calabria, close to the border with Basilicata and within the Pollino National ...

. He spent three months in training and then served as an infantryman at

Cosenza Cosenza (; local dialect: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000; the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Province of Cosenza, which has a populati ...

. First sent to the

front line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an armed force's personnel and equipment, usually referring to land forces. When a front (an intentional or uninte ...

Trentino Trentino ( lld, Trentin), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento, is an autonomous province of Italy, in the country's far north. The Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, an autonomous region ...

, he was later sent by sea from the port of

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. There he contracted

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

, but recovered in a

field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile A ...

. Afterwards he was sent to

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

where he served for two more years in the Italian army. He later married and ran his farm in

Umbriatico Umbriatico is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Crotone, in Calabria, southern Italy. As of 2007 Umbriatico had an estimated population of 930. History Umbriatico was founded by the Oenotrians before the arrival of the Greek colonists who fo ...

, but in 1940 he was called up again to fight in the Second World War at

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...

, to be discharged after six months. He lived in

Cirò Marina Cirò Marina is a ''comune'' and town with a population of 14,000 people in the province of Crotone, in Calabria, Italy. History Ciro Marina was conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century. Economy Ciro Marina relies on the production of oil, ...

until his death in June 2008.

References

Biography of Chiarello

Francesco Domenico Chiarello's obituary
1898 births 2008 deaths Italian centenarians Italian military personnel of World War I Italian military personnel of World War II Knights of the Order of Vittorio Veneto Men centenarians People from the Province of Crotone {{Italy-mil-bio-stub