Commemoration
Maurice became France's oldest living veteran on 30 March 2002, following the passing of 109-year-old Hilaire D'Harboulle. He may also have become the oldest living man in France around that time. Clearly, he was by his 110th birthday.
On 25 December 2004 (his 110th birthday), Maurice was promoted by president Jacques Chirac to the rank of officer in the Légion d'honneur.
In May 2006, Maurice became France's oldest verified man on record, when he surpassed Algerian-born Émile Fourcade (1884–1995), who lived to age 111 years and 153 days.
By all accounts, Maurice enjoyed watching sports on TV and, being a little vain, didn't like to wear his eyeglasses. He was allowed one full glass of red wine every day — and champagne on special occasions.
Since the death of George Johnson on 30 August 2006, he was perhaps the last living man born in 1894. (It is unknown whether Moses Hardy was born in 1893 or 1894.) The death of Johnson moved Floquet up to third-oldest man in the world. However, including women he was only ranked 28th overall.
In October 2006, Maurice sent letters to Henry Allingham (then Britain's oldest man and oldest living veteran) and Robert Meier (Germany's oldest man and oldest living veteran at the time). The three shared the unique status of each being both the oldest man and oldest veteran of their respective countries. (France's then newly crowned oldest man, Aimé Avignon, who was born on 2 February 1897, thus making him almost 110 years old, did not serve in the war.) At the time of his death, Floquet was the oldest living man in Europe.
Read more about this topic: Maurice Floquet