A NAVAL veteran of D-Day has been awarded the Legion D’honneur by the French government.
Harold Griffiths, aged 101, of Malvern Link, served aboard a landing craft that brought tanks and troops to the shores of Normandy during the massive invasion of June 1944.
Taking part in the landings was one of the highlights of his service in the Royal Navy, which lasted from 1940 to 1946, and took him to Iceland, America, Canada and West Africa.
He said: “We sailed out of Southampton and we were carrying troops of the RAF Regiment on D-Day.
“I remember there were so many ships that you couldn’t see the sea.”
Mr Griffiths, originally from Dundee, settled in Lancashire after the war, working as an electrician.
He later settled in Malvern for family reasons.
He said: “I’m very proud to have been awarded this medal.
“I’m the last of my shipmates; the rest of them have all gone away.”
The Legion d’Honneur, created by Napoleon Bonaparte, is the highest decoration in France.
And while membership is technically restricted to French nationals, foreigners who have served France or the ideals it upholds, may be eligible for the honour.
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