Victor “Lloyd” Clemett, who was one of three surviving Canadian veterans of World War I, has died, officials said Thursday. He was 107.
He died at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto late Wednesday, spokeswoman Sally Fur said.
Mr. Clemett enlisted in the Canadian army in 1916 at age 16. Like many others eager to join their countrymen in the trenches of France, Mr. Clemett told the army he was 18 – the official enlistment age. He was sent to England after just three weeks of training and later stationed in France.
About 65,000 Canadian troops – one-tenth of the force – died on the battlefields of Europe during the war, and about 170,000 were wounded.
“With the passing of Mr. Clemett, another link to Canada's proud military history has been severed,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement. “All Cana-dians, no matter where they live, must continue to remember that the sacrifices of Mr. Clemett and his comrades helped shape the strong, prosperous and democratic nation we enjoy today.”
Mr. Clemett is survived by two sons.
