Ministry of Defence
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British D-Day veterans to receive top French Honour - Amended
Ten British World
War Two veterans are to be honoured by the French
government
today for their role in liberating France in 1944.
The nine men and one woman, who all took part in the D-Day
landings,
will receive the Legion d'Honneur in ceremonies
this weekend, marking
the 65th anniversary of D-Day.
The Legion d'Honneur is the highest decoration in France,
awarded for
excellent military conduct. Among those who will
receive the honour
today are several men who were among the
first to land on the Normandy
beaches on the morning of June
6th 1944 and a female nurse who attended
to the many wounded
on Gold beach.
This afternoon, nine of the veterans will become Knights of the
Legion
d'Honneur when they are presented with their
Chevalier medals by the
French Minister of State for Defence
and Veterans, Jean-Marie Bockel.
Peter Hodge, Honorary General Secretary of the Normandy
Veterans
Association, said:
"We are extremely delighted that the French authorities have
honoured
these brave men and women. Sixty-five years ago, they
risked their lives
in one of the biggest military operations
ever undertaken. Since then,
they have all worked tirelessly
with the Normandy Veterans Association
to ensure that the
events of June 6th 1944 are never forgotten. "
Veterans Minister Kevan Jones, who will also be at the ceremony
at Les
Invalides in Paris, said:
"We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the men and women of the
Armed
Forces who, sixty-five years ago, risked their lives for
freedom. I am
immensely proud that these British veterans are
today being decorated
with such an honour, in recognition of
their great courage and bravery."
Another Veteran, who landed on Juno beach on D-Day, will receive
the
higher rank of Officer of the Legion d'Honneur from
President Sarkozy at
a ceremony at Colleville-sur-Mer tomorrow.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. Details of the veterans receiving awards are contained in
Annex
A. For more information, contact Peter Hodge, Honorary
General Secretary
of the Normandy Veterans Association - 07831 357424.
2. Details of the ceremony at the Invalides are available
from
Jean-Yves Zoyo at the British Embassy in Paris on +33 (0)
1 4451 3318 /
33 67568 1398.
3. For interviews with Veterans Minister Kevan Jones, contact
MoD
Press Officer Tom Bennett, who is in Normandy - 07879 456 185.
ANNEX A
The following D-Day veterans will become Knights of the Legion
d'Honneur
in a ceremony in Paris this afternoon.
NAME
DATE OF BIRTH
FROM
SERVICE
George Robert Batts
21/08/1925
Maidstone, Kent
Joined
the Corps of Royal Engineers in 1943. Landed on Gold Beach on
D-Day.
Ernest Patrick Brewer
24/02/1925
Hertfordshire
Joined
the Royal Horse Artillery (7th Division) in 1943. Landed on
Gold
Beach on D-Day, liberated Bayeux, went onward though
Belgium, Holland to
Berlin.
Mrs Vera Hay
14/05/1922
Cumbria
Joined the
Queen's Alexandra Nursing Corps in 1943. Landed on Gold
Beach
and attended to wounded at 'Chateaux Busieux'
in Bayeux.
Oliver Fox
June 1919
Derby
Joined the RAF in 1942.
Landed on Sword Beach on D-Day+3.
Albert Holmshaw
22/07/1924
Nottinghamshire
Joined the
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in 1943. Embarked
on
a Landing Ship Tank and landed on Sword Beach.
William Gordon Hornsby
27/05/1924
Newcastle
Joined
Royal Army Service Corps in 1942. Landed on Gold Beach on
D-Day
and took part in the liberation of Bayeux.
Joseph Randle Oliver
08/06/1925
Sunderland
Joined RAF
in 1943. Landed at Juno Beach with Canadian forces.
Leslie Stocking
02/10/1925
Shrewsbury
Joined the
Royal Engineers in 1942. He landed on Gold Beach on D-Day
and
helped to clear mines in France, Holland and Germany.
The following D-Day veteran will become an Officer of the
Legion
d'Honneur at a ceremony at Colleville-sur-Mer tomorrow.
Jack Sidney Woods
23/03/1924
Norfolk
Joined the 9th
Battalion of the Royal Tank Regiment 1943. Landed on
Juno
Beach with Canadian forces and immediately engaged in
action. Went on to
help capture 5 bridges over the River Seine.