Award of French Legion d'Honneur to Normandy veterans

Discussion in 'Veteran Accounts' started by SDP, Jul 27, 2014.

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  1. ritsonvaljos

    ritsonvaljos Senior Member

    Such is the fate of where you happened to be sent, Ron. Winston Churchill's view about medal awards (in 1944 before D-Day in Normandy and before there were "D-Day Dodgers" may be appropriate to quote in this debate:

    “The object of giving medals, stars and ribbons is to give pride and pleasure to those who have deserved them. At the same time a distinction is something which everybody does not possess. If all have it, it is of less value. There must, therefore, be heart-burnings and disappointments on the borderline. A medal glitters, but it also casts a shadow. The task of drawing up regulations for such awards is one which does not admit of a perfect solution. It is not possible to satisfy everybody without running the risk of satisfying nobody. All that is possible is to give the greatest satisfaction to the greatest number and to hurt the feelings of the fewest.”

    Winston Churchill – 22nd March 1944

    Best wishes to you and all other "D-Day Dodgers".
     
    ritsonvaljos, Dec 20, 2015
    #21
  2. Brian Smith

    Brian Smith Junior Member

    At long last the flow of issue of this award is picking up. I am seeing almost weekly reports that someone has received the honour.

    My next door neighbour Norman Woodhouse got his through the post a few weeks ago just before his 95th birthday.

    Brian
     
    Brian Smith, Dec 20, 2015
    #22
  3. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Ron,

    My late father received a nice medal and scroll from the Greek Government. Depends on which Government and the will to issue them.

    Regards
    Tom
     
    Smudger Jnr, Dec 21, 2015
    #23
  4. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Brian,

    A good friend of mine in the UK is still waiting for his. I sent off an email to the French Embassy in London last month, but not even a received reply was forthcoming.
    Time is getting on and Cyril lost his wife last year so I would love to see him receive his soon.

    Regards
    Tom
     
    Smudger Jnr, Dec 21, 2015
    #24
  5. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    Wilf Shaw, aged 95 received his French Legion of Honour in the post at the end of November after over a year's wait.
    He received a letter stating that he could have it presented to him if he liked, but Wilf didn't want any fuss and was just very pleased to receive it.

    He said he felt very proud to receive it but felt quite emotional thinking about his mates who never received it. Here is a picture of Wilf with his medal taken recently when I met him in Manchester. It is a beautiful medal and quite a weight too.



    [​IMG]


    (previously posted in Veterans thread)
     
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2018
    4jonboy, Dec 21, 2015
    #25
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  6. Brian Smith

    Brian Smith Junior Member

    Tom, all I know of Norman's application is that his daughter dealt with everything for him once I had passed on the details gained from this site, I know she was on the phone trying to chase it up but it seems they area law unto themselves. It then just arrived. As I say there are increasing reports of receipt so I hope your friend receives his soon.

    Cheers Brian
     
    Brian Smith, Dec 21, 2015
    #26
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  7. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    Apparently if the name of the veteran is in the system the medal will still be awarded.

    James Wren 15th/19th Kings Royal Hussars, who died four months ago, has just been awarded the Legion d'honneur. His widow Patricia accepted the medal on his behalf. She said "He was a very modest and he did not like to talk much about what happened out there, but I know he would have been very proud to receive this".

    More on James here.
    http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/58054-royal-kings-hussars-15-19th/?p=695449
     
    RCG, Jan 11, 2016
    #27
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  8. 51highland

    51highland Very Senior Member

    Richard Massey ex 5th Camerons anti tank company and a Mr Mason ( I think he is ex RAMC) with the mayor of Warrington 17th December 2015. Only took 18 months from notification to receipt.
     

    Attached Files:

    51highland, Jan 11, 2016
    #28
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  9. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Cyril received his medal in the post before Christmas and was over the moon. A letter attached stated that the French govermnent wished to send out the medals before the end of the year and as such did not have time to organize ceremonies, however if he wished he could arrange to visit to a French Consular office or the Embassy where it could be presented personally.
    He chose not to as he said it was the icing on the cake receiving such a beautiful medal and it was the best Christmas present he has ever received.
    At 93 years of age, it was well deserved for his services to the Country.

    Regards
    Tom
     
    Smudger Jnr, Jan 11, 2016
    #29
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  10. Over Here

    Over Here Junior Member

    Slightly ironic for Britisher's to accept a decoration created by Napoleon; rather like accepting the German Cross in Gold in 2145! However, time heals all wounds and whatever their motivations, which I'm sure are not unmixed, it's a nice gesture by the French.
     
    Over Here, Jan 17, 2016
    #30
  11. Bernie

    Bernie Junior Member

    Hello
    Does anyone know where I can buy a miniature Legion d'Honneur medal - I need to extend my uncle's set of WW2 miniatures.

    Cheers
    Bernie
     
    Bernie, Jan 25, 2016
    #31
  12. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    RCG, Feb 13, 2016
    #32
    dbf likes this.
  13. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-35582378

    D-Day: NI veterans receive France's top military honour

    video in link

    A group of 23 World War Two veterans from Northern Ireland have received France's highest military honour for their part in the D-Day landings.

    D-Day, 6 June 1944, was the first stage of the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe, changing the course of the war.

    The veterans were presented with the Legion D'Honneur (Legion of Honour) award in Lisburn, County Antrim.

    The medals were presented by France's honorary consul in Northern Ireland, Regine McCullough.

    The recipients are ex-serviceman from the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force (RAF) who played a variety of roles in the Allied operation, which was the biggest seaborne invasion in history.

    [​IMG]
    Royal Navy veteran George Thompson was among only four men from a 100-strong unit who survived the D-Day deployment Sword Beach

    The elderly veterans gathered with their families and friends for the presentation ceremony at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn on Tuesday morning.

    George Thompson, originally from Comber in County Down, was a telegraphist with the Royal Navy but on D-Day he was part of a naval Commando unit which landed on Sword Beach in preparation for the main Allied assault.

    He acted as a radio link between Allied troops and the naval ships, guiding them into the beach and calling in gunfire on enemy positions.

    "I landed when I was 17 with the Commandos. I had my 18th birthday on the beach," Mr Thompson told the BBC.

    [​IMG]
    Ex Able Seaman Samuel McGookin was among those who received medals from France's honorary consul in Northern Ireland, Regine McCullough

    The pensioner said his memories of D-Day were no longer clear but he recalled being involved in mostly "hand-to-hand" combat.

    The casualty rate was very high. Mr Thompson said that he landed on the beach with more than 100 comrades but "only four of us came back".

    Ms McCullough, who is from Normandy in France, said it was an "incredible" experience to meet the ex-servicemen who helped to liberate her homeland.



    "I always wondered - it must have been really terrible to arrive that day, and I never thought I would have spoken to and met some of the soldiers who came there," she said.

    "Without them, we don't know what the course of the war may have been."

    Some of the medals were presented posthumously and were accepted by family members of deceased servicemen.
     
    dbf, Feb 17, 2016
    #33
  14. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-36125365

    WW2: Family frustrated over delays in bid to have Belfast veteran honoured

    [​IMG]
    George Rodgers is a former Royal Ulster Rifles soldier from the the Shankill Road, west Belfast

    The Belfast family of one of the last survivors of the Battle of Dunkirk say they are frustrated over delays in their application to have him awarded for his bravery in World War Two.

    George Rodgers is a former Royal Ulster Rifles soldier from the the Shankill Road, west Belfast.

    He served in France and Belgium at the outbreak of WW2 in 1939 until June 1940, when allied troops retreated.

    The 97-year-old was part of the last defence at the Battle of Dunkirk.

    He is now frail and bedridden.

    [​IMG]

    Last year, his family applied to have him awarded the Legion of Honour Medal - France's highest military award.

    The Ministry of Defence (MoD) facilitates UK applications and sends the details of eligible candidates to the Embassy of France in London.

    There have been 2,400 recipients from the UK, mostly soldiers who liberated France in 1944.

    George's son Bill sent an application by first class post in autumn 2015, but did not hear back.

    Both the embassy and the MoD have told the BBC they have no record of it. The ministry has, however, said it will investigate if an "administrative hiccup" was to blame.

    It said there is a priority scheme for veterans with serious health problems. Bill has been in contact with the relevant department to see if the process can be speeded up.

    "He's 97 years of age and he hasn't too many daylights to go. The sooner he gets it, definitely the better it would be for him. He would be so proud," Bill said.

    [​IMG]

    "I think he deserves it in the sense that he's been to France. He's fought on the beaches, he's an elderly man and it would make him very happy, and the family."

    George, whose face was disfigured later in the war by a grenade explosion in Burma, said he is proud of his campaign medals.

    "I wouldn't sell them for a fortune. I wouldn't let them go," he said.

    On the evacuation, George, who left Dunkirk onboard HMS Ross, said "it was a horrible place".

    "There were all kinds of ships and as soon as the bombers came over, you dove for the soil and got down deep if you can," he said.

    "I saw a fella one time, he was dead, and he had his waterproof cape on him. They tried to make it, but the Germans just took it away with a blast.

    "If you're on a ship which gets bombed, you had a hard chance to get off.

    "Some blokes get a fear in them. They can't move, they don't move. I'm not going to be left because he's afraid to go forward. You have to be prepared yourself.

    "Sometimes I think we could have stopped and gone back again. If you're in fear yourself, you're never getting nowhere."

    Bill Rodgers said his father only began talking openly about his experience of WW2 in recent years.

    "He still has flashbacks after 70 years. He alone knows what it's like. We only hear, but we can't describe what he went through."
     
    dbf, Apr 25, 2016
    #34
  15. Brian Smith

    Brian Smith Junior Member

    I hope this is sorted soon.

    Sorry if I am showing ignorance here but my understanding was that France made this award available for living veterans of the Normandy campaign. Is there other criteria for an award.

    I am aware of the Dunkirk Medal for action at Dunkirk but nothing more.

    Cheers Brian
     
    Brian Smith, Apr 25, 2016
    #35
  16. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    Brian

    Whilst we could be wrong, my understanding is that the Award is indeed for currently living veterans of the Normandy 1944 Campaign only. This would mean that this guy is presumably not eligible for the Award. Sounds somewhat unfair in some respects but then what about those who made the ultimate sacrifice in 1944 and those (including my father) who survived the War but passed away years ago?
     
    SDP, Apr 25, 2016
    #36
  17. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    dbf, Apr 25, 2016
    #37
  18. ritsonvaljos

    ritsonvaljos Senior Member

    As I understand it, surviving veterans of the Normandy campaign were eligible to apply for the Legion d'Honneur. There are some I know of who eventually applied (after I heard about it) but have still not received the award. One or two others I know have received it.

    The story about Mr Rodgers emphasises his time in France in 1939 / 1940 and the Dunkirk evacuation, but nothing about the Normandy campaign which he would need to have been involved with to be eligible. I suppose the French authorities could make an award to someone else not involved in the Normandy campaign. Possibly, this may have been the reason for the soldier captured at Boulogne that Diane refers to, was given the award?
     
    ritsonvaljos, Apr 25, 2016
    #38
  19. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    Looks like Mr Rodgers was with Royal Inniskillin Fusiliers during the qualifying (Normandy campaign) period, in which case it looks unlikely that he qualifies for the Award because all their Battalions were elsewhere at that time, mostly remaining as training units in the UK or out in Burma (which is mentioned in the original report and he is wearing a Burma Star). I hope his expectations haven't been raised too much for obvious reasons. Hopefully the story is not complete and he does qualify after all.......puzzling situation.
     
    SDP, Apr 26, 2016
    #39
  20. Brian Smith

    Brian Smith Junior Member

    Thinking more about this without knowing the exact criteria for this award I may have looked at it the wrong way round. I assumed it was only for French citizens and that the Normandy veterans were awarded it as an exception. However I suppose it is possible that anyone can be awarded this if they meet whatever the criteria is and the Normandy veterans were (for want of a better phrase) awarded it en mass for their actions in liberating France etc.

    However being on the Dunkirk beaches may not in itself meet the criteria required for a single award.
     
    Brian Smith, Apr 26, 2016
    #40
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