Sir – On June 5, the Daily Telegraph issued an article written by their chief reporter about recognition by France of 6,000 UK D-Day survivors who may die before they can be presented with their Legion d’Honneur.

We simply do not know how many of these are Bomber Command surviving veterans. But I had an email from the son of the Australian president of the Australian Pathfinder Association on June 1 which contained some good news.

His father had received a letter from the French authorities to say that he would be presented with his Legion d’Honneur in early July. His letter of application was dated November last year.

According to the Telegraph article it now seems that my Aussie Pathfinder friend would still have his award sent by post to his next of kin, should his father die before presentation can take place. That is important because I had complained previously that some of my BC colleagues who had applied for this award last year were dying before necessary arrangements could be made and the existing rules did not allow for posthumous awards. We are grateful to the Telegraph for their reporter’s investigation in which this situation has been clarified. But my MP is still trying, in this new Parliament, to rectify the award in 2012 of a mere inappropriate clasp to BC when this should be a full campaign medal.

In the eyes of BC veterans and their next of kin worldwide, this yet-to-be-awarded campaign medal would be regarded as proper recognition of their efforts and sacifice in WW2. So many had died before June 5, 1944 or had completed their operations before D-Day. These could not even claim this French award.

Wg Cdr A J Wright DFC RAF (Ret)
Abingdon