Oldest French WW1 veteran dies on anniversary eve

PARIS, Nov 11 (Reuters) France's oldest World War One veteran has died at the age of 111, the National Veterans' Office said.

Maurice Floquet joined the French infantry when he was still a teenager and fought in Belgium and northern France, including the Somme, where he was wounded during hand-to-hand fighting.

There are now only four surviving French ''poilu'', the affectionate nickname meaning ''hairy'' which was given by the French to soldiers who fought in the 1914-1918 war.

About 8.4 million French troops were mobilised during the war.

Some 1.4 million were killed and 4.3 million injured.

The 88th anniversary of the end of World War One will be marked today and one of the four survivors is expected to attend the main ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

REUTERS AD BST0424