Britain mourns its oldest warrior

He was a soldier,a survivor of the trenches and,in later years,an advocate for peace. The funeral of Harry Patch,Britains last infantry veteran of World War I,was a tribute both to a simple man and to the millions of soldiers who died on the battlefields of northern Europe.

British soldiers,marching shoulder-to-shoulder with their comrades from Belgium,France and even Germany,a former foe,escorted Patchs coffin through this town in western England on Thursday to honor Patch8217;s respect for all the soldiers in the war.

People stood quietly as the coffin,shrouded in a Union flag,rolled through the streets. Patch died on July 25 at 111.