Marcel Caux

Marcel Caux
Marcel Caux
Birth name	Harold Katte
Born	1 March 1899
Died	22 August 2004 (aged 105); Chatswood, Sydney
Allegiance	First World War Battle of the Somme; Battle of Pozières;
Awards	British War Medal; Victory Medal; 80th Anniversary Armistice Remembrance Medal; Centenary Medal; Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur

Marcel Caux (1 March 1899 – 22 August 2004), born Harold Katte, was an Australian

First World War veteran and the last known survivor of the Battle of Pozières

.

Military service

Lying about his age, he enlisted on 6 September 1915, aged 16, and on 20 January 1916 embarked for

Battle of the Somme

. He was wounded in the left ankle during the Battle of Pozières in 1916. He was absent without leave on two occasions. He was wounded twice more, eventually being hurt so badly in 1918 that he was unable to bend his left leg for the rest of his life. He returned to Australia on 16 March 1919.

After the war he was refused an invalid

Second World War

, refusing to acknowledge his service during the First World War. He married Doris and they had one son named Marcus, but never told them about his past.

Honours

His secret was discovered in 1998, when he was made a Chevalier (Knight) of the

Légion d'Honneur by the French government. After this he was able to come to terms with his past and began attending Anzac Day

ceremonies.

The centenarian Caux spent his final days in a nursing home in Chatswood, a suburb of Sydney. He remained opposed until he died to Australian involvement in foreign wars, in particular the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He died peacefully in his sleep.

In 2007, it was revealed that Marcel had led a complex and deceptive life. Allegations were made that he deserted his first wife, then married again without a proper divorce.^[1]^[2]