Frank MacDonald, 107; Australia’s Oldest World War I Veteran

Frank MacDonald, 107, Australia’s oldest World War I veteran, died last week of pneumonia in Hobart, in the state of Tasmania, and was buried Saturday. Only six known Australian veterans of that war remain.

One of 11 children, MacDonald served with the all-Tasmanian 40th Battalion Australian Infantry Force on the Western Front in 1917 and 1918. He was awarded a medal for “conspicuous gallantry” in Belgium in 1917, and received the Legion of Honor from the French government in 1998.

He reenlisted for World War II, but was confined to a desk job in Sydney because authorities considered him too old for active duty. Last March, MacDonald said he believed war was stupid, but approved Australia’s support of the U.S. in the conflict with Iraq.

Tasmanian state leader Jim Bacon said, “When asked how he survived the war, his answer was typically forthright -- ‘by not getting hit by a lump of metal.’ ”