About George Frederick Ives
George Frederick Ives, 111, Canadian supercentenarian.
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Full Biography
|George Frederick Ives (17 November 1881 – 12 April 1993) was a British Canadian army veteran, who became known as the last surviving veteran of the Boer War. Ives became known in the UK after a piece in the Peterborough Column in the Daily Telegraph. His record as oldest British veteran, at 111 years, 146 days, of any war was broken on 1 November 2007 by First World War veteran Henry Allingham.
Early life
George Ives was born in Brighton, England on November 17, 1881. The family worked for the Tidmarsh family. He worked in his father's workshop in Bristol until 1899. That December, Ives was eager to enlist after hearing that the British had been defeated at Colenso and Magersfontein. Ives served in England as a private in the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, Bristol Engineers from 1900 to 1901.
Boer War
In the Boer War, George Ives fought with the Imperial Yeomanry of the British Army in South Africa. On January 30, 1901, Ives attested for service as a Trooper, number 21198, with the 1st (Wiltshire) Company, 1st Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry. His height was 5'6", his eyes dark blue, hair black, and trade listed as a grocer. He trained in England until the end of February, when he proceeded to South Africa.
Ives served in South Africa from March 1, 1901 to August 27, 1902, fighting on patrols in the Transvaal, Orange Free State, and the Cape Colony. In an interview many years later, Ives described these patrols:
- "We started out in the morning early, had a good camp breakfast, filled our water cans up with coffee, and we went. Before the sun was up any strength at all, nearly all the drink had gone. We was [out] all day and we'd chew stones in our mouth and try and agitate a little saliva. Finally we got to the end of the trip and fell off the horse, the horse was thirsty too, and we'd throw some water in our mouths and on the back of our neck, and when we looked up [we] discovered there was two dead mules in the same pond, but it didn't matter about mules rotting, you had to satisfy your thirst."
In the same interview Ives recalled his proudest moment during the war:
- "The most important [moment] was when the Captain had us fall in, get in line, it was after supper, at night, and when they were all there he said 'Ives take ten paces forward' and I stepped forward ten paces, and he says to the company: 'here is the man who was scouting through 70 miles of enemy territory several times'. The captain then said give him a cheer, and they said 'hoorah, hoorah' and I went back in line."
Ives was discharged in England on September 3, 1902 and for his service in South Africa, he was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal with clasps for Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901, and South Africa 1902.
Later life
A 21-year-old Ives emigrated to Canada in 1903 with his father and purchased 160 acres (0.65 km2) of land for ten dollars. On that land in Alberta he began to farm and would spend most of his life doing so. He was rejected from service in World War I because of a heart murmur.
In 1910, he married Kay Nelson. The couple had three sons and three daughters. Nelson disliked the hard life of the Canadian Prairies, so in 1919 the family moved to White Rock, British Columbia. Ives owned a farm there and eventually retired from it in 1941. He looked and found another job because he said that his retirement was an excuse to change jobs. He worked in a shipyard building wooden scows for another 15 years until 1956, when he finally announced his retirement.
George and Kay Ives lived in the same house for most of their married life, finally moving into a retirement home in 1984. His wife died in 1987 after 77 years of marriage. He attended the Royal Albert Hall service on Remembrance Day in November 1992 in the UK and met The Queen, former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, and the current prime minister John Major. At the time, he was the last living veteran entitled to wear a Queen Victoria Medal and laid a wreath at the memorial. Ives died on 12 April 1993 aged 111 years, 146 days in White Rock, British Columbia, Canada.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Frederick_Ives
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from George Frederick Ives's archived record and the sources above.
1.On what date was George Frederick Ives born?
- A.12 April 1993
- B.30 January 1901
- C.17 November 1881correct
- D.1 November 2007
George Frederick Ives was born in Brighton, England, on November 17, 1881.
Source: Early life section
2.What trade was listed for George Frederick Ives when he attested for service in the Boer War?
- A.Grocercorrect
- B.Engineer
- C.Farmer
- D.Shipbuilder
When attesting for service in the Boer War on January 30, 1901, George Frederick Ives had his trade listed as a grocer.
Source: Boer War section
3.Why was George Frederick Ives rejected from service in World War I?
- A.Because of a heart murmurcorrect
- B.Because he lacked combat experience
- C.Because he was too old
- D.Because he was already living in Canada
George Frederick Ives was rejected from serving in World War I due to a heart murmur.
Source: Later life section
4.In what year did George Frederick Ives emigrate to Canada?
- A.1910
- B.1899
- C.1903correct
- D.1919
George Frederick Ives emigrated to Canada in 1903 at the age of 21.
Source: Later life section
5.How many children did George Frederick Ives and his wife Kay Nelson have?
- A.Two sons and two daughters
- B.Three sons and three daughterscorrect
- C.Three sons and two daughters
- D.Four sons and two daughters
George Frederick Ives and Kay Nelson were the parents of three sons and three daughters.
Source: Later life section
6.What specific job did George Frederick Ives perform after retiring from his farm in 1941?
- A.Operating a grocery store
- B.Working in a shipyard building wooden scowscorrect
- C.Training horses for the British Army
- D.Working as a clerk in a local government office
After retiring from farming in 1941, George Frederick Ives worked for 15 years in a shipyard building wooden scows.
Source: Later life section
7.Who broke the record of George Frederick Ives as the oldest British veteran of any war?
- A.An unnamed soldier from the Boer War
- B.Margaret Thatcher
- C.Henry Allinghamcorrect
- D.John Major
Henry Allingham broke the record held by George Frederick Ives as the oldest British veteran on November 1, 2007.
Source: Introduction
8.Where did George Frederick Ives work before he joined the military?
- A.In a shipyard in White Rock
- B.In a grocery store in London
- C.In his father's workshop in Bristolcorrect
- D.On a farm in the Canadian Prairies
Before enlisting, George Frederick Ives worked in his father's workshop in Bristol until 1899.
Source: Early life section
9.What award was given to George Frederick Ives for his service in the Boer War?
- A.The Queen Victoria Medal
- B.The Victoria Cross
- C.The British War Medal
- D.The Queen's South Africa Medalcorrect
For his service in South Africa, George Frederick Ives was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal with various clasps.
Source: Boer War section
10.In which city did George Frederick Ives die?
- A.White Rock, British Columbiacorrect
- B.London, England
- C.Bristol, England
- D.Brighton, England
George Frederick Ives passed away in White Rock, British Columbia, Canada, on April 12, 1993.
Source: Later life section
11.What was the reason George Frederick Ives gave for finding a new job after his first retirement in 1941?
- A.He wanted to move closer to his children
- B.He was bored with living in the Canadian Prairies
- C.He considered retirement an excuse to change jobscorrect
- D.He needed to pay off his land debt
George Frederick Ives stated that he looked for work after retiring from his farm because his retirement was simply an excuse to change jobs.
Source: Later life section
12.Which political figures did George Frederick Ives meet at the Royal Albert Hall in 1992?
- A.The Queen, Tony Blair, and Margaret Thatcher
- B.King Charles, John Major, and Margaret Thatcher
- C.The Queen, Winston Churchill, and John Major
- D.The Queen, Margaret Thatcher, and John Majorcorrect
In 1992, George Frederick Ives met The Queen, former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, and current prime minister John Major.
Source: Later life section
13.What was the proudest moment George Frederick Ives recalled from the Boer War?
- A.Finding water in a pond during a patrol
- B.Receiving his medal in London
- C.Winning a horse race against a fellow soldier
- D.Being praised by his Captain for scouting through enemy territorycorrect
George Frederick Ives recalled being praised by his Captain for scouting through 70 miles of enemy territory as his proudest moment.
Source: Boer War section
14.How long did George Frederick Ives and his wife remain married?
- A.84 years
- B.70 years
- C.60 years
- D.77 yearscorrect
George Frederick Ives and his wife were married for 77 years until she passed away in 1987.
Source: Later life section
15.What was the approximate size of the land George Frederick Ives purchased in Canada?
- A.260 acres
- B.160 acrescorrect
- C.100 acres
- D.200 acres
After moving to Canada, George Frederick Ives purchased 160 acres of land for ten dollars.
Source: Later life section
16.Which of the following describes the appearance of George Frederick Ives during his service as a Trooper?
- A.Height 5'10", brown eyes, and brown hair
- B.Height 5'8", grey eyes, and blonde hair
- C.Height 6'0", blue eyes, and grey hair
- D.Height 5'6", dark blue eyes, and black haircorrect
When he attested as a Trooper, his height was 5'6", his eyes were dark blue, and his hair was black.
Source: Boer War section
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