Who was the youngest british soldier killed in world war 1?

Answer 1

The youngest soldier that served in the great war (WWI) was only 13. about the same age as a yr 8 or 9 pupil in England.

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The question is not specific about which World War, nor about which country. So I am going to give some thoughts about the use of boy soldiers in the German Army in 1945, which suggest that the youngest might have been EIGHT years old.

REMPEL, Gerhard; Hitler's Children - The Hitler Youth and the SS; University of North Carolina Press, US; 1989 has a photograph of four boy soldiers captured by the US Army. They are in uniform and they are reported to be between eight and fourteen years old.

GEHLEN, Wilhelm and GREGORY, Don; Jungvolk - The Story of a Boy Defending Hitler's Third Reich; Casemate Books, UK; 2008 has the following comment from Gehlen's own experiences: "In 1943, I was 10-years-old," writes Wilhelm Gehlen, "and at the age of 10, we Jungvolk knew how to change the barrel on a 20mm gun. We loaded magazines and ran messages, often under fighter-bomber fire, between gun emplacements or the headquarters when telephone communications had been shot to ribbons."

Gehlen's comments, therefore, suggest that ten year old boys were serving as soldiers.

Gehlen & Gregory also have the famous picture of Hitler shaking hands with Alfred Czech at a parade on Hitler's 56th birthday in 1945 (about a week before Hitler committed suicide). Czech was twelve at the time and was receiving his Iron Cross for his service in the German Army.

Lastly, there are numerous reports of boys as young as ten fighting and dying in a futile attempt to prevent the capture of the Pichelsdorf Bridge in Berlin by the Red Army in April 1945.

Hope that this helps.

In the First world war the youngest to serve in the british,American or french armies war only 12.In other armies it was probably less in the Russian army it was probably 11 nobody knows for sure.The austro-hungarians also had some soldiers as young as 12.All in all the kind of situation now seen in the Congo.

Answer 2

Edward Thomas Mark Austin MBE. The story in my family goes ----he ran away at 14 and went to the trenches. He got trench fever and was returned to hospital in UK. Parents disclosed his age and then was was not able to re-enlist until he was of age. He did re-enlist. After the second world War he went to the Investiture Ceremony at Buckingham Palace to receive his MBE. He was accompanied by his wife and daughter. In my family tree is posted the newspaper report of the event and a picture. Perhaps there really were younger soldier but of no of no other newspaper articles. The article is a little battered and I don't know which newspaper printed it. Possibly Peterborough or Weston-Super-Mare, UK. If you go to an MBE site, maybe he is mentioned there ...for verification.

Answer 3

The youngest soldier who fought in the trenchces was only 14!

Answer 4

The youngest soldier in World War 1 was 14 years old

Answer 5

Some uknown soldiers.

Answer 6

the youngest soidier to die in WW1 was 12