Léon Weil
Encyclopedia
Léon Roger Weil was one of the last two surviving veterans of the battle of Val-de-Marne
in the First World War
. He was almost 110 when he died at the Val-de-Grâce
military hospital in Paris
, France
.
Joining the army when he was 20 years old, he was assigned to the fifth battalion of Chasseurs alpins (cinquième bataillon de chasseurs alpins) in Alsace
and took part in 1917 in the battle of Chemin des Dames
. More than 150,000 people died during this battle. He was also a French Resistance
fighter during the Second World War
under the code name of Victor. After the war, he worked as a sales representative in the women's fashion industry. An avid fan of theatre and boxing (he was quite a good boxer in his younger days), he continued to swim until the age of 102.
At the time of his death he was one of the last seven surviving officially recognized French veterans of World War I.
Val-de-Marne
Val-de-Marne is a French department, named after the Marne River, located in the Île-de-France region. The department is situated to the southeast of the city of Paris.- Geography :...
in the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was almost 110 when he died at the Val-de-Grâce
Val-de-Grâce
This article describes the hospital and former abbey. For the main article on Mansart and Lemercier's central church, see Church of the Val-de-Grâce....
military hospital in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Joining the army when he was 20 years old, he was assigned to the fifth battalion of Chasseurs alpins (cinquième bataillon de chasseurs alpins) in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
and took part in 1917 in the battle of Chemin des Dames
Chemin des Dames
In France, the Chemin des Dames is part of the D18 and runs east and west in the département of Aisne, between in the west, the Route Nationale 2, and in the east, the D1044 at Corbeny. It is some thirty kilometres long and runs along a ridge between the valleys of the rivers Aisne and Ailette...
. More than 150,000 people died during this battle. He was also a French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
fighter during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
under the code name of Victor. After the war, he worked as a sales representative in the women's fashion industry. An avid fan of theatre and boxing (he was quite a good boxer in his younger days), he continued to swim until the age of 102.
At the time of his death he was one of the last seven surviving officially recognized French veterans of World War I.