Maurice Floquet

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Maurice Noël Floquet (Poissons, December 25, 1894 - Montauroux, November 10, 2006) was France's oldest man on record and was one of the last surviving French veterans of World War I. He was also, at the age of 111 years and 320 days, France's longest-lived soldier ever. Moreover, Maurice was France's oldest living man for more than four years. France's oldest person was a woman, Jeanne Calment, who, at 122 when she died, still remains the oldest verified person ever.

1 During the First World War
2 After the war
3 Commemoration
4 References
5 See also

[edit] During the First World War

Maurice was in the artillery during World War I. His military history has been variously reported. It was said that he joined in Sept 1914 and served on the Belgian front in Dec 1914. He was wounded on several occasions. The first of these wounds came at the second Battle of the Marne. A second occurred at the Somme during hand-to-hand fighting with bayonets. The third wound occurred at Beausejour part of the Neuve Chapelle; a lump of rock pierced Maurice's throat and obstructed his breathing. By all accounts it was an enemy soldier who removed the rock and so saved Maurice's life.

A year later, and back on the front line, Maurice was again wounded in the head and left arm when a grenade exploded. (The hole in Maurice's head was patched up by a nurse who found a piece of someone else's cartilage) Maurice's outer ear was blown off. After recuperating, towards the end of the war, Maurice was sent to a bomb factory and was decommissioned in 1919.

Maurice still had a German bullet lodged in his arm.

[edit] After the war

After the war, Maurice married and became a tractor repairman. He worked his garden until he was more than 100 years old and at 110 he still rode an exercise bike for 20 minutes a day in the backyard of his apartment - an unusual feat for a supercentenarian. However, by November 2006 Mr Floquet was described as 'confined to bed'.

[edit] Commemoration

Maurice became France's oldest living veteran on March 30, 2002, following the passing of 109-year-old Hilaire D'Harboulle. He may also have become the oldest living man in France around that time. Clearly, he was by his 110th birthday.

On December 25, 2004 (his 110th birthday), Maurice was promoted by president Jacques Chirac to the rank of officer in the Légion d'honneur.^[1]

In May 2006, Maurice became France's oldest verified man on record, when he surpassed Algerian-born Émile Fourcade (1884-1995), who lived to be 111 years and 154 days.

By all accounts Maurice enjoyed watching sports on TV and, being a little vain, didn't like to wear his eye glasses. He was allowed one full glass of red wine every day -- and champagne on special occasions.

Since the death of George Johnson on August 30, 2006, he was perhaps the last living man born in 1894. (It is unclear whether Moses Hardy was born in 1893 or 1894.) The death of Johnson moved Floquet up to third-oldest man in the world. However, including women he was only ranked 28th overall.

In October 2006, Maurice sent a letter to Henry Allingham (Britain's oldest man and oldest living veteran) and Robert Meier (Germany's oldest man and oldest living veteran at the time). The three at the time shared the unique status of being both the oldest man and oldest veteran of their respective countries (France's then newly crowned oldest man, Aimé Avignon, who was born on February 2, 1897, thus making him almost 110 years old, did not serve in the war).

At the time of his death, Floquet was the oldest living man in Europe. He also was one of less than ten remaining Frenchmen who participated in World War I.