The Last Fighting Tommy

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Harry Patch, the last British soldier who fought in the trenches of the First World War, is now 108 years old and one of the few who can recall the horrors of that conflict. He reminisces about his childhood in the Somerset countryside and his early career as an apprentice plumber before being conscripted in 1916. As a machine gunner in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, he experienced the brutal realities of trench warfare during the Battle of Passchendaele, witnessing the deaths of many comrades, including his three closest friends in a devastating shell attack. He shares vivid accounts of daily life in the trenches, the terror of artillery fire, and the dread of going over the top. Following the Armistice, frustration over delays in demobilization led to a mutiny, in which he became involved. During the Second World War, Harry served on the home front as a firefighter during the bombing of Bath and formed friendships with American GIs preparing for deployment. Years later, he was moved to tears by their graves. In his later years, he gained fame, meeting the Queen, participating in the BBC documentary The Last Tommies, and addressing Prime Minister Tony Blair about the soldiers shot for cowardice. This narrative captures the extraordinary life of an ordinary man.