Class 43 power car named after WWI veteran Harry Patch, who died aged 111

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

Please bear with me on this one: I just think he was a quite remarkable man.

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

The last British survivor of the World War I trenches, Harry Patch, has died at the age of 111.

Mr Patch was conscripted into the Army aged 18 and fought in the Battle of Passchendaele at Ypres in 1917 in which more than 70,000 British soldiers died.

He was raised in Combe Down, near Bath, and had been living at a care home in Wells, Somerset.

The Queen said she was "saddened" to hear of Mr Patch's death. "We will never forget the bravery and enormous sacrifice of his generation, which will continue to serve as an example to us all."

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "I had the honour of meeting Harry, and I share his family's grief at the passing of a great man. I know that the whole nation will unite today to honour the memory, and to take pride in the generation that fought the Great War. The noblest of all the generations has left us, but they will never be forgotten."

A national memorial service should be held as "a special commemoration" of the efforts of Mr Patch and "a generation of people" who fought in World War I, Mr Brown added.

The Prince of Wales said nothing could give him greater pride than paying tribute to Mr Patch. He told the BBC: "Harry was involved in numerous bouts of heavy fighting on the front line but amazingly remained unscathed for a while. Tragically one night in September 1917 when in the morass in the Ypres Salient a German shrapnel shell burst overhead badly wounding Harry and killing three of his closest friends. In spite of the comparatively short time that he served with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, Harry always cherished the extraordinary camaraderie that the appalling conditions engendered in the battalion and remained loyal to the end."

Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt, said: "He was the last of a generation that in youth was steadfast in its duty in the face of cruel sacrifice and we give thanks for his life - as well as those of his comrades - for upholding the same values and freedom that we continue to cherish and fight for today."

Conservative leader David Cameron said: "The passing of our last surviving WWI soldier marks the end of an era and is a reminder of the huge debt of gratitude we owe Harry and those he served alongside."

Mr Patch was born on 17 June 1898 and left school at the age of 15 to train as a plumber. He was a machine-gunner in the trenches and served as a private from June to September 1917.

Mr Patch was at the time of his death the oldest man in Europe and the third oldest man in the world, according to the Ministry of Defence.

He was married twice, first in 1919 in Hadley, Shropshire, to Ada which lasted 60 years, and then to Jean when he was 81. He had two sons with Ada, Dennis and Roy, both of whom he outlived. From 2003 he had a third partner, Doris, who lived in the same retirement home and died two years ago.

His biographer Richard Van Emden said Mr Patch "had a sparkle about him" and was "one of the most rewarding people to be with". "He was the last of that generation and the poignancy of that is almost overwhelming. He remembered all of those who died and suffered and every time he was honoured he knew it was for all of those who fought," he said.

Mr Patch's friend Lesley Ross said she felt great affection towards him. "Extremely modest, dignified gentleman, with a slightly wicked sense of humour and considerate to everybody he met. Very polite and I would sum him up as a true gentleman," she said.

The Ministry of Defence said there would be a funeral cortege through Wells followed by a service at Wells Cathedral.

The Fletcher House care home said in a statement it extended its deepest sympathies to Mr Patch's family and friends. Andrew Larpent, chief executive of Somerset Care, said Mr Patch died peacefully in his bed having been unwell for some time. "His friends and his family have been here. He just quietly slipped away at 9am this morning," he said. "It was how he would have wanted it, without having to be moved to hospitals but here, peacefully with his friends and carers."

[Chris from Nailsea]

A video update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Harry Patch in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Harry Patch, the last British survivor of the trenches of World War I, is to receive an entry in the latest edition of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

The veteran died in 2009 in Wells, Somerset, aged 111.

[SandTEngineer]

A  naming ceromony at Bristol Temple Meads today (06 November 2015): https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisperkins/22403357777/in/photolist-A8H4Kg

Harry Patch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Patch

[ChrisB]

Two more....From Rail Magazine



and Network Rail



You'd have thought thay might have touched up the end of the power car?

[a-driver]

The nameplate on it really is stunning..... but strangely they've applied First Great Western branding to the power car??

[TaplowGreen]

That Power car is probably a similar age to Harry Patch!

[JayMac]

For those with access To Facebook here's a link to a selection of photos posted to the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) Enthusiast Group page:

https://m.facebook.com/groups/192811564180260?view=permalink&id=803890483072362

[Chris from Nailsea]

I've simply moved a previous topic and merged it here, in the interests of continuity. CfN. 

[ray951]

  I dont want to be pedantic but isn't a class 43 power car?
naming a class 143 after a WW1 veteran would be a bit of an insult

[Adelante_CCT]

Such as 143609 'Sir Tom Jones'

[Chris from Nailsea]

My mistake: sorry!  Too many '1's in the topic heading - now corrected. 

[bobm]

I hadn't realised until today that Harry Patch died aged 111 years, 1 month, 1 week and 1 day - so poignant given the Armistice at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. 

[grahame]

Limited edition model - available for sale

http://www.locomotionmodels.com/british-model-railways/oo-gauge-4mm/nrm-exclusive-editions-and-collection/hornby-fgw-class-43-172-harry-patch.htm

There's an interesting discussion this Remembrance Sunday as to what degree of commercialism is tasteful alongside the Harry Patch and indeed whole WWI rememberance business. 

[ChrisB]

Interestingly, Paul Gentleman is employed by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) in their project team. Interesting, nice guy

[bobm]

Coming back from Bristol yesterday I was able to get a proper look at power car 43172.

Here it is pictured at Swindon.