After his death, de Cazenave was succeeded as the oldest living Frenchman as well as French veteran of World War I by Italian-born Lazare Ponticelli, who was two months younger and died only two months later, on March 12, 2008. Two further French veterans, 108-year-old Fernand Goux and 109-year-old Pierre Picault who were the oldest living Frenchmen after Ponticelli's death as well as the last living Frenchmen born before 1900, died later in November 2008, but neither was officially recognized as the last French veteran of the war by the government of France because they served fewer than three months.
Louis de Cazenave was born and raised in Saint-Georges-d'Aurac in the Auvergne region of south central France. When he turned nineteen years old, at the end of 1916, he was mobilized into the military.[1] He found himself in various units before being assigned to the colonial infantry front in the 5th Senegalese Tirailleur Battalion and fought in the Battle of Chemin des Dames.[1][2]
At the end of the war, de Cazenave returned to Haute-Loire and married in 1920 to Marie, a postmistress with whom he had three sons.[1] He became a railwayman,[1] joining the predecessor to the SNCF. His experiences led him to become a convinced pacifist; later on, he participated in the strikes and demonstrations of the Popular Front in 1936 before going into retirement in 1941.[1] During the Nazi occupation of France, he subscribed to the banned left-wing libertarian journal La Patrie Humaine and was imprisoned by the pro-Nazi Vichy regime.
Although at first refusing any decorations, de Cazenave accepted the Légion d’honneur in 1995, along with several other veterans.[2] He died at his family home in Brioude at age 110.
^ ab"Louis de Cazenave: Veteran who survived the Chemin des Dames". The Times. 2008-01-22. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
External links
The First World War: The Chemin des Dames, Louis de Cazenave: 1897–2008, brief biography
The New York Times: Louis de Cazenave, French World War I veteran, obituary
Le Monde.fr: Les ders des ders(in French)
February 19, 2023
louis, cazenave, october, 1897, january, 2008, time, death, oldest, surviving, french, veteran, world, photo, 1918, born, 1897, october, 1897saint, georges, aurac, francedied, 2008, january, 2008, aged, years, days, brioude, franceallegiance, franceservice, br. Louis de Cazenave October 16 1897 January 20 2008 1 was at the time of his death the oldest surviving French veteran of World War I Louis de Cazenave photo 1918 Born 1897 10 16 October 16 1897Saint Georges d Aurac FranceDied 2008 01 20 January 20 2008 aged 110 years 96 days Brioude FranceAllegiance FranceService wbr branchFrench ArmyYears of service1916 1918Unit5th Senegalese Tirailleur BattalionBattles warsChemin des DamesAwardsChevalier de la Legion d honneurCroix de guerre 1914 1918Medaille Interalliee 1914 1918Relationsmarried three childrenOther workrailway manDe Cazenave became the oldest living poilu following the death of 111 year old Maurice Floquet on November 10 2006 and later following the death of 110 year old Aime Avignon on August 23 2007 also the oldest living Frenchman as well as the fourth oldest living European man After the death of Japaneseman Giichi Okumura on October 13 2007 he was also the 12th oldest living man in the world After his death de Cazenave was succeeded as the oldest living Frenchman as well as French veteran of World War I by Italian born Lazare Ponticelli who was two months younger and died only two months later on March 12 2008 Two further French veterans 108 year old Fernand Goux and 109 year old Pierre Picault who were the oldest living Frenchmen after Ponticelli s death as well as the last living Frenchmen born before 1900 died later in November 2008 but neither was officially recognized as the last French veteran of the war by the government of France because they served fewer than three months Contents 1 Biography 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksBiography EditLouis de Cazenave was born and raised in Saint Georges d Aurac in the Auvergne region of south central France When he turned nineteen years old at the end of 1916 he was mobilized into the military 1 He found himself in various units before being assigned to the colonial infantry front in the 5th Senegalese Tirailleur Battalion and fought in the Battle of Chemin des Dames 1 2 At the end of the war de Cazenave returned to Haute Loire and married in 1920 to Marie a postmistress with whom he had three sons 1 He became a railwayman 1 joining the predecessor to the SNCF His experiences led him to become a convinced pacifist later on he participated in the strikes and demonstrations of the Popular Front in 1936 before going into retirement in 1941 1 During the Nazi occupation of France he subscribed to the banned left wing libertarian journal La Patrie Humaine and was imprisoned by the pro Nazi Vichy regime Although at first refusing any decorations de Cazenave accepted the Legion d honneur in 1995 along with several other veterans 2 He died at his family home in Brioude at age 110 See also EditList of last surviving World War I veterans by country Second Battle of the Aisne Oldest people SupercentenarianReferences Edit a b c d e f France s oldest WW1 veteran dies BBC News 2008 01 20 Retrieved 2008 01 20 a b Louis de Cazenave Veteran who survived the Chemin des Dames The Times 2008 01 22 Retrieved 2008 04 05 External links EditThe First World War The Chemin des Dames Louis de Cazenave 1897 2008 brief biography The New York Times Louis de Cazenave French World War I veteran obituary Le Monde fr Les ders des ders in French Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Louis de Cazenave amp oldid 1036501669, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
