Lazare Ponticelli
Encyclopedia
Lazare Ponticelli Knight of Vittorio Veneto
, was at 110, the last surviving officially recognized veteran of the First World War
from France and the last poilu
of its trenches to die. Born in Italy, he travelled on his own to France at the age of eight. Aged 16, he lied about his age in order to join the French Army
at the start of the war in 1914, before being transferred against his will to the Italian Army
the following year. After the war, he and his brothers founded the piping and metal work company Ponticelli Frères (Ponticelli Brothers), which produced supplies for the Second World War
effort and as of 2009 was still in business.
Ponticelli was the oldest living man of Italian birth and the oldest man living in France at the time of his death. Every Armistice Day
until 2007 he attended ceremonies honoring deceased veterans. In his later years, he criticized war, and stored his awards from the First World War in a shoe box. While he felt unworthy of the state funeral the French government offered him, he eventually accepted one. However, he asked for the emphasis of the procession to be on the common soldiers who died on the battlefield. French president Nicolas Sarkozy
honored his wish and dedicated a plaque to them at the procession.
in the town of Bettola
, Piacenza province
, in northern Italy, he was raised in the mountain village of I Cordani, one of seven children born to Jean and Philomène Ponticelli. His father sold livestock on the fairgrounds and occasionally worked as a carpenter and cobbler. His mother cultivated the family's small plot of land and, like many women of the area, commuted three times a year to the Po Valley
to work in its rice fields. Despite the Ponticelli family's hard work, they were impoverished and the children often went to bed on an empty stomach. When Lazare was two years of age, his mother moved to France to earn a better living. After the unexpected deaths of Jean Ponticelli and his eldest son, Pierre, the rest of the family moved to Paris, leaving Lazare in the care of neighbors.
At age six, Ponticelli started several jobs, including making clogs. By 1906 Lazzaro had saved enough money to buy a railway ticket to Paris, which he considered "paradise." To travel to the capital of France, he walked 21 miles (34 km) to the nearest train station at Piacenza
. He could not speak French, though he found work as a chimney sweep in Nogent-sur-Marne
and later as a paper boy in Paris. He obtained a work permit at age 13.
, Ponticelli joined the 1st Régiment de Marche of the French Foreign Legion
at 16 years old, lying about his age to do so. There he rediscovered his older brother, Céleste Ponticelli, who had also joined the regiment. According to Ponticelli, France had done much for him, and serving was his way of showing his gratitude. He served at Soissons
in Picardy
, northeast France, and at Douaumont
, near Verdun
. Ponticelli worked at digging burial pits and trenches. In keeping a promise to Céleste to always assist others, he rescued a German and a French soldier who were wounded in the arm and leg, respectively.
Ponticelli was not a French citizen and in May 1915, when Italy entered the war, he was conscripted into the Italian Army
. Although he attempted to remain with his French regiment, he eventually enlisted in the 3rd Alpini Regiment, after being escorted to Turin
by two gendarmes. Ponticelli saw service against the Austro-Hungarian Army
at Mount Piccolo on the Austria–Italy border. At his new post as a machine gun
ner, Ponticelli was seriously wounded by a shell during an assault on an Austrian mountain position. He was returned to his post after rest and recuperation in Naples
. In an undated interview, he described being injured: "Blood was running into my eyes... I continued firing despite my wound."
Once, his regiment ceased fighting the Austrians for three weeks. The armies, who mostly spoke each other's tongue, swapped loaves of bread for tobacco and photographed each other. In 1918 Ponticelli was gassed in an Austrian attack that killed hundreds of his fellow soldiers. Reflecting on war, he said: "You shoot at men who are fathers. War is completely stupid." In one of his last interviews, Ponticelli stated he was amazed at his own survival.
, it became profitable and well-known in its field. It was incorporated as a private limited company in 1932, when its primary work was with industrial chimneys. During the Second World War
, Ponticelli, who became a French citizen in 1939, was too old for combat but supported the war effort by supplying soldiers with his products. He moved his factory into an unoccupied zone when Germany invaded and occupied France. After Vichy France
was taken over by the Germans, he returned northwards and began working with the resistance
. In the aftermath of World War II, Ponticelli added a piping department to his company. He continued managing the company until his retirement in 1960. At the time of his death it was reported that the company had 4,000 employees and its annual revenue (2005) was €300 million. The company now operates in several countries outside France, such as Angola.
, and every 11 November until 2007 he attended Armistice Day
ceremonies. An honored citizen of his adopted town, Ponticelli voted in the 2007 presidential
and legislative elections
. He officially became a supercentenarian
on 7 December 2007, celebrating his official 110th birthday at the National History of Immigration Museum. He kept his war medals in a shoebox.
When originally offered a state funeral by then French President Jacques Chirac
, Ponticelli asserted that he did not want one, although the death of the penultimate recognized soldier, Louis de Cazenave
, on 20 January 2008 caused him to reconsider. He eventually accepted a small ceremony "in the name of all those who died, men and women," during World War I.
Ponticelli died at 12:45 PM (11:45 GMT) at his home in Le Kremlin-Bicêtre on 12 March 2008, aged 110. At the time of his death, Ponticelli was the oldest living man of Italian birth and the oldest man living in France. Nicolas Sarkozy
, the French president, released a statement and said there would be a day of national remembrance for the war dead of France. Ponticelli was survived by at least one child, his then-78-year-old daughter, Janine Desbaucheron.
His state funeral was held on 17 March 2008. The mass was held at Saint-Louis Cathedral in Les Invalides
and was attended by government ministers, soldiers and members of Ponticelli's family. French academic Max Gallo
delivered the eulogy. At the mass, French collégien
Guillaume Kaleff read a poem written by his class in Ponticelli's honor. Flags were ordered to be flown at half mast while Sarkozy unveiled a plaque dedicated to the veterans of World War I. The French Foreign Legion, the same regiment that Ponticelli fought in, carried his coffin at the funeral. After the procession, he was buried in his family's plot at the Ivry-sur-Seine cemetery, located in the Val-de-Marne. On 11 November 2008, during the first Armistice Day since his death, Rue de Verdun in Le Kremlin-Bicêtre was renamed Rue de Verdun-Lazare-Ponticelli.
Order of Vittorio Veneto
The military Order of Vittorio Veneto was founded as national order by the fifth President of the Italian Republic, Giuseppe Saragat, in 1968, "to express the gratitude of the nation" to those decorated with the Medaglia e Croce di Guerra al Valor Militare who had fought for at least six months in...
, was at 110, the last surviving officially recognized veteran of 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...
from France and the last poilu
Poilu
Poilu is a warmly informal term for a French World War I infantryman, meaning, literally, hairy one. The term came into popular usage in France during the era of Napoleon Bonaparte and his massive citizen armies, though the term grognard was also common. It is still widely used as a term of...
of its trenches to die. Born in Italy, he travelled on his own to France at the age of eight. Aged 16, he lied about his age in order to join the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
at the start of the war in 1914, before being transferred against his will to the Italian Army
Royal Italian Army
The Regio Esercito was the army of the Kingdom of Italy from the unification of Italy in 1861 to the birth of the Italian Republic in 1946...
the following year. After the war, he and his brothers founded the piping and metal work company Ponticelli Frères (Ponticelli Brothers), which produced supplies for 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...
effort and as of 2009 was still in business.
Ponticelli was the oldest living man of Italian birth and the oldest man living in France at the time of his death. Every Armistice Day
Armistice Day
Armistice Day is on 11 November and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day...
until 2007 he attended ceremonies honoring deceased veterans. In his later years, he criticized war, and stored his awards from the First World War in a shoe box. While he felt unworthy of the state funeral the French government offered him, he eventually accepted one. However, he asked for the emphasis of the procession to be on the common soldiers who died on the battlefield. French president Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
honored his wish and dedicated a plaque to them at the procession.
Early life
Born as Lazzaro Ponticelli in Groppo Ducale, a civil parishCivil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the town of Bettola
Bettola
Bettola is a comune in the Province of Piacenza in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 140 km west of Bologna and about 30 km south of Piacenza.- Notable people:...
, Piacenza province
Province of Piacenza
The Province of Piacenza is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Piacenza.The province has 273,689 inhabitants . Its total area is 2,589 km². There are 48 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Piacenza...
, in northern Italy, he was raised in the mountain village of I Cordani, one of seven children born to Jean and Philomène Ponticelli. His father sold livestock on the fairgrounds and occasionally worked as a carpenter and cobbler. His mother cultivated the family's small plot of land and, like many women of the area, commuted three times a year to the Po Valley
Po Valley
The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain is a major geographical feature of Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of 46,000 km² including its Venetic extension not actually related to the Po River basin; it runs from the Western Alps to the...
to work in its rice fields. Despite the Ponticelli family's hard work, they were impoverished and the children often went to bed on an empty stomach. When Lazare was two years of age, his mother moved to France to earn a better living. After the unexpected deaths of Jean Ponticelli and his eldest son, Pierre, the rest of the family moved to Paris, leaving Lazare in the care of neighbors.
At age six, Ponticelli started several jobs, including making clogs. By 1906 Lazzaro had saved enough money to buy a railway ticket to Paris, which he considered "paradise." To travel to the capital of France, he walked 21 miles (34 km) to the nearest train station at Piacenza
Piacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
. He could not speak French, though he found work as a chimney sweep in Nogent-sur-Marne
Nogent-sur-Marne
Nogent-sur-Marne is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Nogent-sur-Marne is a sous-préfecture of the Val-de-Marne département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Nogent-sur-Marne.-History:...
and later as a paper boy in Paris. He obtained a work permit at age 13.
World War I
In August 1914, shortly after the outbreak of World War IWorld 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...
, Ponticelli joined the 1st Régiment de Marche of the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
at 16 years old, lying about his age to do so. There he rediscovered his older brother, Céleste Ponticelli, who had also joined the regiment. According to Ponticelli, France had done much for him, and serving was his way of showing his gratitude. He served at Soissons
Soissons
Soissons is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France, located on the Aisne River, about northeast of Paris. It is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital of the Suessiones...
in Picardy
Picardy
This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...
, northeast France, and at Douaumont
Douaumont
Douaumont is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.The village was destroyed during World War I. Today the Douaumont ossuary, which contains the remains of more than 100,000 unknown soldiers of both French and German nationalities found on the battlefield, stands...
, near Verdun
Verdun
Verdun is a city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly smaller city of Bar-le-Duc.- History :...
. Ponticelli worked at digging burial pits and trenches. In keeping a promise to Céleste to always assist others, he rescued a German and a French soldier who were wounded in the arm and leg, respectively.
Ponticelli was not a French citizen and in May 1915, when Italy entered the war, he was conscripted into the Italian Army
Italian Army
The Italian Army is the ground defence force of the Italian Armed Forces. It is all-volunteer force of active-duty personnel, numbering 108,355 in 2010. Its best-known combat vehicles are the Dardo infantry fighting vehicle, the Centauro tank destroyer and the Ariete tank, and among its aircraft...
. Although he attempted to remain with his French regiment, he eventually enlisted in the 3rd Alpini Regiment, after being escorted to Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
by two gendarmes. Ponticelli saw service against the Austro-Hungarian Army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
at Mount Piccolo on the Austria–Italy border. At his new post as a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
ner, Ponticelli was seriously wounded by a shell during an assault on an Austrian mountain position. He was returned to his post after rest and recuperation in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. In an undated interview, he described being injured: "Blood was running into my eyes... I continued firing despite my wound."
Once, his regiment ceased fighting the Austrians for three weeks. The armies, who mostly spoke each other's tongue, swapped loaves of bread for tobacco and photographed each other. In 1918 Ponticelli was gassed in an Austrian attack that killed hundreds of his fellow soldiers. Reflecting on war, he said: "You shoot at men who are fathers. War is completely stupid." In one of his last interviews, Ponticelli stated he was amazed at his own survival.
Ponticelli Frères
After being demobilized in 1920, Ponticelli founded a metal work company with Céleste and Bonfils, his youngest brother, which they called "Ponticelli Frères" ("Ponticelli Brothers"). Located in the 13th arrondissement of ParisArrondissements of France
The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts.The capital of an arrondissement/district is called a subprefecture...
, it became profitable and well-known in its field. It was incorporated as a private limited company in 1932, when its primary work was with industrial chimneys. 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...
, Ponticelli, who became a French citizen in 1939, was too old for combat but supported the war effort by supplying soldiers with his products. He moved his factory into an unoccupied zone when Germany invaded and occupied France. After Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
was taken over by the Germans, he returned northwards and began working with the 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...
. In the aftermath of World War II, Ponticelli added a piping department to his company. He continued managing the company until his retirement in 1960. At the time of his death it was reported that the company had 4,000 employees and its annual revenue (2005) was €300 million. The company now operates in several countries outside France, such as Angola.
Later life
Until his death, Ponticelli lived with his daughter in the Paris suburb of Le Kremlin-BicêtreLe Kremlin-Bicêtre
Le Kremlin-Bicêtre is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe....
, and every 11 November until 2007 he attended Armistice Day
Armistice Day
Armistice Day is on 11 November and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day...
ceremonies. An honored citizen of his adopted town, Ponticelli voted in the 2007 presidential
French presidential election, 2007
The 2007 French presidential election, the ninth of the Fifth French Republic was held to elect the successor to Jacques Chirac as president of France for a five-year term.The winner, decided on 5 and 6 May 2007, was Nicolas Sarkozy...
and legislative elections
French legislative election, 2007
The French legislative elections took place on 10 June and 17 June 2007 to elect the 13th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic, a few weeks after the French presidential election run-off on 6 May. 7,639 candidates stood for 577 seats, including France's overseas possessions...
. He officially became a supercentenarian
Supercentenarian
A supercentenarian is someone who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in a thousand centenarians....
on 7 December 2007, celebrating his official 110th birthday at the National History of Immigration Museum. He kept his war medals in a shoebox.
When originally offered a state funeral by then French President Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
, Ponticelli asserted that he did not want one, although the death of the penultimate recognized soldier, Louis de Cazenave
Louis de Cazenave
Louis de Cazenave was, at the time of his death, the oldest surviving French veteran of World War I.De Cazenave became the oldest poilu following the death of 111-year-old Maurice Floquet on November 10, 2006...
, on 20 January 2008 caused him to reconsider. He eventually accepted a small ceremony "in the name of all those who died, men and women," during World War I.
Ponticelli died at 12:45 PM (11:45 GMT) at his home in Le Kremlin-Bicêtre on 12 March 2008, aged 110. At the time of his death, Ponticelli was the oldest living man of Italian birth and the oldest man living in France. Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
, the French president, released a statement and said there would be a day of national remembrance for the war dead of France. Ponticelli was survived by at least one child, his then-78-year-old daughter, Janine Desbaucheron.
His state funeral was held on 17 March 2008. The mass was held at Saint-Louis Cathedral in Les Invalides
Les Invalides
Les Invalides , officially known as L'Hôtel national des Invalides , is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's...
and was attended by government ministers, soldiers and members of Ponticelli's family. French academic Max Gallo
Max Gallo
Max Gallo is a French writer, historian and politician.The son of Italian immigrants, Max Gallo's early career was in journalism. At the time he was a Communist . In 1974, he joined the Socialist Party. On April 26, 2007, the French Academy recorded his candidacy for its Seat 24, formerly held by...
delivered the eulogy. At the mass, French collégien
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
Guillaume Kaleff read a poem written by his class in Ponticelli's honor. Flags were ordered to be flown at half mast while Sarkozy unveiled a plaque dedicated to the veterans of World War I. The French Foreign Legion, the same regiment that Ponticelli fought in, carried his coffin at the funeral. After the procession, he was buried in his family's plot at the Ivry-sur-Seine cemetery, located in the Val-de-Marne. On 11 November 2008, during the first Armistice Day since his death, Rue de Verdun in Le Kremlin-Bicêtre was renamed Rue de Verdun-Lazare-Ponticelli.
See also
- List of last surviving World War I veterans by country
- List of veterans of World War I who died in 2008