- WWI vet to get state funeral -
23.08.2004 12:29:32
Flags will fly at half mast when a state funeral is held for one of Australia`s longest-surviving World War I veterans, Marcel Caux, who his family say will be remembered as a gentleman and hero.
Mr Caux died on Sunday afternoon after spending his final hours with his son, Marcus de Caux, at his nursing home in Chatswood in Sydney`s north.
Born on March 1, 1899, 16-year-old Caux lied about his age to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force in Sydney in September 1915, to eventually fight with the 17th and 20th battalions on the Somme.
Mr de Caux said the family had accepted an offer by NSW Premier Bob Carr for a state funeral to honour his father`s life and contributions to battle in Egypt, France and on the Western Front, where he was wounded three times.
The funeral also would allow the public to pay their respects to the veteran, he said.
"He was one of a disappearing breed," Mr de Caux told AAP.
Final details of the state funeral were yet to be arranged, but it would likely take place this Friday or next Monday, he said.
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Good friend and former NSW RSL president Rusty Priest would give one of the eulogies.
"Rusty had been to his birthday parties, Rusty had always been a friend and he knew him, so it won`t be just some faceless person giving the eulogy," Mr de Caux said.
Mr Priest also was instrumental in convincing Mr Caux to break an 80-year-old silence on his wartime experiences and attend a Remembrance Day ceremony in Sydney in 2001.
"Up until recently he (Mr Caux) didn`t really want to talk about (his military service)," Mr de Caux said.
"But in the last couple of years, when he saw the efforts of the RSL at Anzac Day he wanted to give a bit back and so broadened his horizons and spoke to a lot of school children."
Mr de Caux said he wanted his father to be remembered "as a gentleman with a great sense of humour and as a hero".
Both sides of federal politics paid tribute to the digger.
Veterans Affairs Minister Danna Vale said Mr Caux embodied the Anzac spirit.
"The actions of Mr Caux and his peers helped to define the young nation of Australia," she said.
Federal Labor leader Mark Latham said Mr Caux`s death was a sad loss for the nation.
"This is someone who had a great reputation in the community, who served his country with bravery and distinction and, as with all the World War I veterans, we honour them."
Mr Caux is survived by his son Mr de Caux and grandson Christian, 15.
There are four surviving World War I diggers in Australia. They are Gilbert Bennion, 105, of NSW, Victorians John Ross, 105, and William Allan, 104, and Peter Casserly, 106, of Western Australia.
acknowledge:
by Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au
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