D-Day veteran Fred Pope finally gets his Legion d'Honneur

The 92-year-old was told two years ago that he and his fellow veterans would be given the honour, but a mix-up meant he was sent someone else's, which he returned.

The Oxford Mail contacted the Ministry of Defence and the French Embassy and now Mr Pope has finally got his hands on the medal he won for his role in liberating France from Nazi tyranny more than 70 years ago.

The Bicester man, who lives with wife Jeane, said: "I am very pleased.

"72 years is a long time, I would not think there are many left like me.

"This medal is for all my old comrades too, because they could not send the medals to anyone who was deceased.

"I do not want any more fuss.

"I do not like all this D-Day hero business, I was one of thousands."

The medal, which arrived while Mr and Mrs Pope were eating lunch yesterday afternoon, came with a letter from French ambassador Sylvie Bermann thanking the former Royal Artillery gunner for his service in the Second World War.

Mr Pope was just 20-years-old when he landed at Gold Beach on June 6, 1944 with thousands of other troops as part of the Normandy Landings.

Attached to the London Welsh Regiment he fought across France, Belgium and Germany and ended up in Hamburg at the end of the war in May 1945.

The former plasterer said: "I would have liked it for our 70th wedding anniversary on Wednesday, it would have made the day.

"But it is better late than never.

"The medal is handmade and it is a very, very nice medal.

"I was surprised how nice it was."

The Legion d'Honneur is awarded by the French Government for "excellent civil or military conduct delivered" and more than 3,200 have been approved for British D-Day veterans.

The first medal Mr Pope received was addressed to a Mr Harry Paintin, so he sent it back in case Mr Paintin was left without his award.

He was contacted by the French Embassy, who told him he would receive it within a few days but it took until yesterday to arrive.

Mrs Pope, 88, said: "We put a notice on the door for the postman because we knew it would be coming by registered post.

"It said if anything arrived that needed to be signed for we would be in the dining room.

"The postman came right up to the table with it."

Staff at the couple's home in Saxon Court sheltered housing will throw a party on Friday to celebrate Mr Pope's award.

Mrs Pope said: "Fred is a very private person so the manageress just came and told him he was having a party.

"I was quite pleased about that. Fred is very pleased that he has got it, thank goodness it turned up."