BIOGRAPHY

Maurice Le Coutour was born on 12 May 1914 in Gouberville (present-day Vicq-sur-Mer), Normandy, France. His father worked as a carpenter while his mother was a homemaker. After finishing school in Gouberville, he worked in a grocery store in Cherbourg.

Le Coutour was mobilized in the Second World War and fought in the Battle of Dunkirk in 1940 before being evacuated by the British Navy (Operation Dynamo). His mother and sister were alone, so he had to provide for the family. He continued working in Cherbourg, even during periods of bombing. After the war, he became a secretary at the Tocqueville dairy and a school bus driver. He retired at the age of 65. At some point, he married Madeleine. The couple had a son who died young.

RECOGNITION

On 7 January 2024, following the passing of 111-year-old André Ludwig of Pays de la Loire, he became the oldest living man in France.

ATTRIBUTION

* “À 104 ans, Maurice Le Coutour ne lâche rien” – Ouest France, 28 January 2019

* “Le doyen de la Manche vient de fêter ses 107 ans dans son village natal” – Actu.fr, 16 May 2021

* “Barfleur. À 109 ans, le Manchois Maurice Le Coutour devient le doyen des Français” – Actu.fr, 13 January 2024

GALLERY