| Charles Laking | |
 Laking (age 104) as an older man at his house in 2003. | |
| Birth: | 21 February 1899 Campbellville, Ontario, Canada |
| Death: | 26 November 2005 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Age: | 106 years, 278 days |
| Country: |  CAN
|
| Centenarian | |
Charles Clarence "Clare" Laking (21 February 1899 – 26 November 2005) was, at the age of 106 years, 278 days, one of the last surviving Canadian veterans of the First World War. At the time of his death, he was believed to have been the last surviving Canadian veteran of the war to have fought on the front lines.
Biography[]
Laking was born and raised in Campbellville, Ontario, and defied the wishes of his Methodist father when he joined the Canadian field artillery in 1917. He served as a signaller on the front lines in France for two years. He received the French Legion d'honneur and a Golden Jubilee Medal.
After the war, Laking worked in lumber until 1941, when he took over Danforth Wallboard and Insulation Ltd. He ran the company until his retirement in 1965. In his old age, he led an uncommonly active life. He went to every Toronto Maple Leafs game until he was 100, drove until he was 102, and walked a mile a day.
Laking was married for many years to his wife Helen, who died in 1993. They had two children, Keith and Sheila. He became the oldest living man in Ontario when 106-year-old Russell Cowan (1898-2005) died on 4 October 2005.In addition he was the 3rd oldest living man in Canada when he died behind Harold Dunichand and Ernest Machpherson. He died in Toronto at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre at the age of 106 years, 278 days. In addition to his son and daughter, Laking was survived by four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Gallery[]
External Links[]
References[]
- Charles Clarence Laking Ancestry
- Charles Laking, 106; One of Last 5 Canadian Veterans of World War I Los Angeles Times, 3 December 2005 (Archived)