Carlo Orelli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carlo Orelli
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Carlo Orelli during the First World War
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| Nickname(s) | "The Last Infantryman" |
| Born | 23 December 1894 Perugia, Umbria, Italy |
| Died | 22 January 2005 (aged 110 years, 30 days) Garbatella, Rome, Lazio, Italy |
| Allegiance |  Italy |
| Service/ |
 Royal Italian Army |
| Years of service | 1915–??? |
| Unit | 320th Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic |
| Other work | Mechanic |
Carlo Orelli (born December 23, 1894 – died January 22, 2005) was an amazing Italian man who lived to be 110 years old! He was the very last Italian soldier from World War I who joined the army right when the war began. Carlo was born in Perugia, Italy, but he spent most of his life living in Rome.
His family had a long history of serving in the military. Carlo himself was a mechanic before he joined the Italian Army in May 1915. He fought in many battles in Italy. He often shared his memories of the tough times in the trenches, where many of his friends were sadly lost. After he was hurt in his leg, he left the army and went back home.
After recovering from his injury, Carlo got married and had six children. During World War II, even though he didn't like Nazi Germany or fascism, he had to work helping to direct artillery in Italy. After that war ended, he went back to being a mechanic and retired in 1960. In his later years, he often encouraged people to remember the important lessons learned from World War I. In 2003, he was given a special award called Grand Officer in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. He passed away in January 2005, just a month after his 110th birthday. When he died, he was the oldest Italian person who had fought in World War I. He was also the last soldier who fought in the trenches and the last one from Italy's first group of soldiers in the war.
Carlo Orelli's Early Life
Carlo Orelli was born in Perugia, Italy, on December 23, 1894. His family soon moved to Rome to be closer to an aunt who ran a local shop. Carlo came from a family with a strong military background. His grandfather, Thomas, helped protect Perugia in 1849. Carlo's father served in a war in Ethiopia in the 1880s.
His older brother, Alfredo, fought in Libya in 1911. His younger brother, William, fought in World War II and was captured by the British in 1943. Carlo lived in a quiet part of Rome called Garbatella. He lived on the fourth floor of a building that did not have an elevator. Before he joined the army, he trained to become a mechanic.
Carlo Orelli's Military Service
Carlo Orelli joined the army when he was 21 years old. He went to the front lines against Austria-Hungary in May 1915, right at the start of World War I. He was a foot soldier in the 320th Infantry Regiment. He fought in the trenches near Trieste, which was a major battle area. He also took part in fights near the Isonzo river.
In his own book, Carlo shared many details about his experiences. He saw many soldiers get hurt or die in the trenches. He also noticed that many of the peasant soldiers could not read or write. He said they "died in silence."
In interviews, he also talked about how scared the soldiers often were. He mentioned that movies didn't always show what fighting was really like. For example, when cannon shells were fired, they didn't hit right away. Instead, they made a slow, scary sound as they came closer. He called the chance of a shell exploding the "lottery of death." Carlo remembered many soldiers trying to cope with their fears. But he always refused to do so. To get ready for an attack and stay clear-headed, he forced himself to stop thinking about his home and family.
Carlo was eventually wounded in his right leg. This injury ended his time in the army and sent him home. He remembered little about what happened right after he was hurt. During a fight with some Austrian soldiers, he was hit in the leg and his left ear. The ear wound was very close to being fatal. After being taken to a nearby farmhouse, he spent the rest of the war recovering from an infection in hospitals. He didn't remember much about his time in the hospitals.
Life After World War I
After World War I, Carlo Orelli went back to his job as a mechanic. He and his wife, Cecilia, had six children: one son and five daughters. They were born between 1920 and 1935, and all of them were still alive when he passed away. He also had nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.
Even though he did not support fascism, he found himself working to direct artillery in Gaeta during World War II. After that war, he returned to Rome and lived with his family in Garbatella. He retired from his mechanic job in 1960. His wife passed away in 1969.
In his later years, Carlo enjoyed sharing stories about his experiences in World War I. He urged everyone who listened to "not forget our sacrifice." In 2003, on his 109th birthday, the Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi gave Carlo a high honor. He was made a Grand Officer in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
Towards the end of his life, Carlo Orelli became known as "The Last Infantryman." This later became the title of his war memories, which he published in 2004. When he died, many news reports mistakenly said he was the very last Italian World War I veteran. While this wasn't quite true, he was indeed the oldest Italian survivor of World War I. He was also the last soldier who fought in the trenches and the last survivor from when Italy first joined the war in 1915.
See also
