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| Down Under |
| State funeral for WWI Digger |
| 2004-08-23 |
| THE public will have the chance to say goodbye to one of Australia's longest-surviving World War I veterans, Marcel Caux, after his family today accepted the offer of a state funeral. Born on March 1, 1899, he was just 16 when in September 1915 he lied about his age to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force in Sydney, to eventually fight with the 17th and 20th battalions on the Somme. NSW Premier Bob Carr last night offered Mr Caux's family a state funeral to honour his life and contributions to battle in Egypt, France and on the Western Front, where he was wounded three times. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #5 My hat off to you, Mr. Caux, for your dedication. We, who reap the bounty of your sacrifices, will remember you as one of those who made it possible for us to be free and prosper. So many men died there in the Somme. So many good men that never got a chance to enjoy life, raise a family, and live to a ripe old age. So many. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-08-23 5:29:58 PM |
| #4 Wow. Thanks, Mr. Caux. We'll do our damndest to be worthy of your service and your sacrifice. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-08-23 5:23:22 PM |
| #3 "Here's to the last man standing!" |
| Posted by: Fred 2004-08-23 3:51:26 PM |
| #2 I read somewhere that Australian forces in WWI and WWII had an estimated 20% underage personnel. They just couldn't catch 'em all. Aussies rock! Of course, the guy who wrote the article was some sort of Psychologist and speculated that it was a kind of "island fever"... claimed it had dissipated since WWII with the dramatic rise of air travel - and better documentation. Yet, they still field some of the best fighters - with that same "go get em" spirit. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-08-23 2:34:57 PM |
| #1 ...And let me take a moment to say thank you to Mr. Carr and his family. Hopefully there will be an OFFICIAL US presence there. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-08-23 2:24:04 PM |