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| British WWI veteran dies aged 108 | British WWI veteran dies aged 108 |
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| One of only four surviving British veterans of World War I has died at the age of 108. | One of only four surviving British veterans of World War I has died at the age of 108. |
| William Stone, from Watlington in Oxfordshire, was the last British serviceman to have seen active duty in both world wars. | |
| Mr Stone, who was known as Bill, joined the Royal Navy on his 18th birthday in September 1918 and served on HMS Tiger. | |
| In 2004 he was presented with the National Veterans' Badge. He died at a care home in Sindlesham, Berkshire. | In 2004 he was presented with the National Veterans' Badge. He died at a care home in Sindlesham, Berkshire. |
| Born in Ledstone, Kingsbridge, South Devon, on 23 September 1900, he followed his brothers into the navy, serving as a stoker. | |
| During World War II he was a chief stoker on HMS Salamander and took part in the evacuation of Dunkirk, making five trips to pick up troops from the beaches. | |
| Mr Stone also served in the Sicily landings of 1943 with HMS Newfoundland and was mentioned in despatches after a torpedo attack as the ship made its way back to Malta. | |
| In an interview with the BBC in 2007, Mr Stone said: "Dunkirk was the worst part of my life. | |
| He was a man of great faith and his recipe for long life was: clean living, contented mind and trust in God Anne Davidson, daughter | |
| "One of our sister ships, Skipjack, was bombed, and 200 soldiers and all crew were killed. | |
| "During our trips to Dunkirk, I was often stationed on the quarterdeck helping men get aboard Salamander as they swam out from the beach. | |
| "Those were awful days but one just carried on as if nothing had happened - there was nothing else that you could do." | |
| Mr Stone married Lily in 1938 and their daughter Anne was born the year after. | |
| He went on to run a tobacconist and hairdressing shop in Devon, retiring in 1968 to move to Oxfordshire. | |
| Mrs Stone died in 1995. | |
| In a statement, Mr Stone's daughter said: "[He] had a remarkable, long, healthy and happy life. | |
| "He thoroughly enjoyed going to events, meeting people and, whenever possible, regaling those around him with his fund of naval stories and jokes. | |
| (L-R) Henry Allingham, Harry Patch and Bill Stone pictured last year | |
| "He was a very determined character both in his naval career and in civilian life and, no doubt, this contributed greatly to his longevity. | |
| "He was a man of great faith and his recipe for long life was: clean living, contented mind and trust in God. His motto - 'keep going'. | |
| "William will be sadly missed by his family and many friends". | |
| The other known remaining British veterans of World War I are 112-year-old Henry Allingham and 110-year-old Harry Patch, who both live in Britain, and 107-year-old Claude Choules who lives in Australia. | |
| Minister for Veterans Kevan Jones MP paid tribute to Mr Stone. | |
| "We owe a great deal to the men and women who served this country with such distinction during those wars to protect our liberty," he said. | |
| "[Mr Stone] was a man who represented the courage, spirit and determination of his generation. He was an inspiration to us all." | |
| Mr Stone died on Saturday at the Masonic Care Home at Sindlesham near Wokingham, where he lived for the past two years. | |
| A funeral will be held later in the month at St Leonard's Church in Watlington. |