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Chris Tolley[_2_]

wrote:

Not really a Century for the US Civil war, the last Union Veteran died
about 1956 ,last Confederate 1958. Presumably as is the way of
these things there were a fair no that survived to the 1930's and some
long lived ones who made it a further 20 years. Either way there must
be a reasonable no of people around 80 ish who as a child would have
had a Grandad who served in that conflict. By some convoluted method
involving remarriage the last widows pension was paid until 2004.

My "pretty well a century" was a finger-in-the-air job. I'm genuinely
surprised that the veterans lasted that long.
--
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p13857145.html
("Europe's Heaviest Train" plaque on 59 005 at Merehead, 26 Jun 1994)