This is an incomplete list of the last surviving veterans of Canadian wars. The last surviving veteran of any particular war, upon his death, marks the end of a historic era. Exactly who ''is'' the last surviving veteran is often an issue of contention, especially with records from long-ago wars. The "last man standing" was often very young at the time of enlistment and in many cases had lied about his age to gain entry into the service, which confuses matters further. There were also sometimes incentives for men to lie about their ages ''after'' their military service ended.

19th century

War of 1812 (1812–1815)

* Sir

Provo Wallis Provo or Provos may refer to: In geography In the United States * Provo, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Provo, South Dakota, an unincorporated community * Provo Township, Fall River County, South Dakota * Provo, Utah, a city ** Provo P ...

(1791–1892) —

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. Served on . Also a Napoleonic Wars veteran. * John Tutela (1797–1888) — Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Warrior. Last Six Nations veteran. Member of the

Cayuga nation The Cayuga Nation of New York is a federally recognized tribe of Cayuga people, based in New York, United States. Other organized tribes with Cayuga members are the federally recognized Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma and the Canadian-recognized ...

. Later became a chief. *

John Smoke Johnson John Smoke Johnson (December 2 or 14, 1792 – August 26, 1886) or Sakayengwaraton (also known as Smoke Johnson), was a Mohawk leader in Canada. After Johnson fought for the British Crown in the War of 1812, he was honoured by his tribal ...

(1792–1886) — Iroquois Warrior. Member of the

Mohawk nation The Mohawk people ( moh, Kanienʼkehá꞉ka) are the most easterly section of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy. They are an Iroquoian-speaking Indigenous people of North America, with communities in southeastern Canada and norther ...

. Later became a chief. * Young Warner (c. 1794–c. 1882) — Iroquois Warrior. Member of the Cayuga nation.

Rebellions of 1837–1838

* Samuel Filgate (1818–1919) — Canadian militia. * François X. Matthieu (1818–1914) —

Parti Patriote The Parti canadien () or Parti patriote () was a primarily francophone political party in what is now Quebec founded by members of the liberal elite of Lower Canada at the beginning of the 19th century. Its members were made up of liberal prof ...

American Civil War (1861–1865)

* George F. Stuart (1845–1946) —

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

. Born in New Brunswick. * Donat Courville (1844–1943) — Confederate Army. Born in Quebec.

Fenian raids (1866–1871)

* Henry Bayles Hooke (1849–1954) —

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 res ...

. Fought in the raid of 1866 at Ridgeway. * William Craig (1850–1951) — Canadian Army. Fought in the raids of 1870–71.

North-West Rebellion (1885)

* William Dickie Mills (1866–1971) — Canadian Army. * Jean Dumont (1858–1961) — Métis militia. Nephew of Gabriel Dumont.

20th century

Second Boer War (1899–1902)

* Sir

Richard Ernest William Turner Lieutenant General Sir Richard Ernest William Turner, (25 July 1871 – 19 June 1961) was a senior Canadian Army officer who served during the Second Boer War and the First World War, and was a recipient of the Victoria Cross. While Turner ...

(1871—1961) — Canadian Army. Last Canadian

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

recipient. Served in Queen's Own Canadian Hussars. Later promoted to Lieutenant General and served in World War I. * George Frederick Ives (1881–1993) — British Army. Served in the

Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but s ...

. Later emigrated to Canada.

World War I (1914–1918)

John Babcock John Henry Foster Babcock (July 23, 1900 – February 18, 2010) was, at age 109, the last known surviving veteran of the Canadian military to have served in the First World War and, after the death of Harry Patch, was the conflict's oldes ...

(1900–2010) — Canadian Expeditionary Force. Last Canadian veteran. * Gladys Powers (1899–2008) — British Army. Served in the WAAC and

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

; the WRAF. Last female veteran and last veteran residing in Canada. * Charles Laking (1899–2005) — Canadian Expeditionary Force. Last combat veteran. *

Henry Botterell Henry John Lawrence Botterell (November 7, 1896 – January 3, 2003) was a Canadian fighter pilot who served in the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and then in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War I. When he died at the age of 106, ...

(1896–2003) —

. Born in Canada. Served in the

RNAS The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

before joining the RAF. Last pilot. * Edward H. Harlow (1899–2002) —

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

. Served on HMCS ''Niobe''. Survived the

Halifax Explosion On the morning of 6 December 1917, the French cargo ship collided with the Norwegian vessel in the waters of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The ''Mont-Blanc'', laden with high explosives, caught fire and exploded, devastating the Richmond ...

. * Charles Smith Rutherford (1892–1989) – Canadian Army

5th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles The 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles were a mounted infantry unit of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during World War I. The unit was raised from volunteers of the 7th and XIth (Canadian) Hussars from the Eastern Townships of Que ...

. Last Canadian Victoria Cross Recipient.

World War II (1939–1945)

Ernest Smith Ernest Alvia "Smokey" Smith (3 May 1914 – 3 August 2005) was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was the last living ...

(1914–2005) – Canadian Army.

The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada , colors = , colors_label = , march = "The Piobaireachd of Donald Dhu" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = ...

. Last Canadian Victoria Cross Recipient. * Reuben Sinclair (1911-2023) –

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

. * Ernest Ross McCutchen (1923-2020) – Royal Canadian Air Force. * Ronald B. Watson (1922-) - Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's)

References

{{Longevity Can Veterans' affairs in Canada

War veterans 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 h ...

Veterans 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 h ...

Canadian war veterans