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Robert Meier

Robert Meier (March 10, 1897 – January 29, 2007) was, aged 109, Germany's oldest living man, a combat-wounded veteran of the First World War and one of Germany's last surviving veterans of that war. Meier became Germany's oldest living man on March 2, 2005, when he was age 107, following the death of 111-year-old Hermann Dörnemann. Meier lived in Witten, North Rhine-Westphalia. He was a rarity in being a survivor of the infantry, having seen combat in France on the western front. He was also a Second World War veteran, spending some time as a prisoner of war in the Caucasus. In October 2006, Robert Meier met then 110-year-old Henry Allingham, the oldest living British World War I veteran, in his hometown. France's oldest veteran ever, 111-year-old Maurice Floquet, sent his regards, but could not attend, because he was too frail to travel. Floquet subsequently died on the eve of Armistice Day, November 10, 2006. Robert Meier was born to German parents in Sergejewka, Ukraine, in the Russian Empire. He was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany for 70 years, and worked as a railway worker. His wife Ella died in 1967; they had a son and a daughter. Robert Meier had a fine sense of humour; in 2006, he let the local press take his picture while he was wearing a World War I spiked helmet and a T-shirt with the slogan "109 - na und?" ("109 - so what?") on it.…

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Article summary

Robert Meier (March 10, 1897 – January 29, 2007) was, aged 109, Germany's oldest living man, a combat-wounded veteran of the First World War and one of Germany's last surviving veterans of that war. Meier became Germany's oldest living man on March 2, 2005, when he was age 107, following the death of 111-year-old Hermann Dörnemann. Meier lived in Witten, North Rhine-Westphalia. He was a rarity in being a survivor of the infantry, having seen combat in France on the western front. He was also a Second World War veteran, spending some time as a prisoner of war in the Caucasus. In October 2006, Robert Meier met then 110-year-old Henry Allingham, the oldest living British World War I veteran, in his hometown. France's oldest veteran ever, 111-year-old Maurice Floquet, sent his regards, but could not attend, because he was too frail to travel. Floquet subsequently died on the eve of Armistice Day, November 10, 2006. Robert Meier was born to German parents in Sergejewka, Ukraine, in the Russian Empire. He was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany for 70 years, and worked as a railway worker. His wife Ella died in 1967; they had a son and a daughter. Robert Meier had a fine sense of humour; in 2006, he let the local press take his picture while he was wearing a World War I spiked helmet and a T-shirt with the slogan "109 - na und?" ("109 - so what?") on it.…

Key claims

  1. date of death: 2006-11-10 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. date of death: 1967 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of death is "2006-11-10". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the date of death is "1967". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1313255791

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.