Legion d'honneur for Wolverhampton soldier 70 years on from Normandy landing

Christopher Collier, aged 90, from Penn, is one of the first D-Day veterans in the Black Country to receive the Legion d'Honneur.

He was 19 when he landed on Juno Beach in Normandy on June 6, 1944, as part of the Royal Signal and Air Formation Signals.

The award marks a marvellous few months for Mr Collier. In July he received an award in recognition of his 50 years service as a chief scout at St.Bartholomew's First Penn Scouts Club.

Then the following month he celebrated his diamond wedding anniversary with his wife Marion.

"It's fair to say I've had a momentous few months," Mr Collier said. "I feel very honoured and lucky to have received this medal so many years on, it's not something I expected at all."

Mr Collier found out he would be receiving the Legion d'Honneur medal last month when he received a letter from the ambassador of France.

The accolade recognises the acts of heroism displayed by surviving veterans of the Normandy landings and of the wider campaigns to liberate France in 1944.

Distribution of the medal has been marred by red tape since French President François Hollande announced non-French troops could apply for it around 18 months ago.

More than 3,000 servicemen have applied for the medal, including around 100 in the Black Country and Staffordshire, but until recently only a small number of them had received it.

Now, slowly but surely, the awards are starting to come through. Mr Collier said receiving the award had brought back memories of his time in the forces.

"I've had a good run of fortune and greatly appreciate receiving this high honour," he said. "It brought back some incredible memories from my time in the army, especially that day landing at Normandy with my fellow comrades.

"We went through a lot in the war, it's something that never leaves you."

At the end of the Second World War, Mr Collier went on to to serve in Egypt for two years and overall spent a total of four years in the army from 1943-47.

When he returned to England, Mr Collier, who is originally from Oxfordshire, went back to his job as a telegraphist at the postal service.

He moved to the Midlands with his wife Marion, now 81, and worked as a surveyor at HM Customs and Excise. The couple have two sons, Chris, 59 and Andrew, 57.

Over the last five years, he has also written a number of memoirs to commemorate his war and life experiences, something he was inspired to do by his younger brother who joined the forces after the Second World War and wrote about his time serving.

Mr Collier has only revealed the work to his close family and friends. One memoir entitled Army Memories describes the journey onto the Normandy beaches, with the harrowing sound of 'gunfire firing in the distance'.

Distribution of the Legion d'Honneur medals was initially held up when the Ministry of Defence said it was short of manpower to process the applications.

One the details were sent over to France they had to be translated, causing further delays.

The French Embassy in London says the applications are now being prioritised on age and health grounds, meaning the oldest and most infirm veterans will receive their medals first.

It cannot be awarded posthumously, but in cases where the application has been fully processed and approved before a veteran dies, the medal will be sent to their family.