Legion d'Honneur for East Dean war veteran

Norman, 95, received the medal from Chichester mayor Peter Budge, on behalf of the president of France, in recognition of his involvement in the liberation of France.

Norman was living in East Dean with his wife Dorothy and sons Michael and Barry when he received his call-up papers to join the 1st Battalion Middlesex Regiment.

Following intensive training, he was posted to Normandy as part of Operation Overlord in June 1944.

His company was made up of mortar gunners and their first engagement was to take and hold Hill 112, including the village of Maltot, where many lives, including those of residents, were lost.

From there, the regiment continued to fight through France, Belgium, Holland and then into Germany. They crossed the Rhine and when peace was declared, they had reached Kiel on the Baltic coast, where they faced the Russian Army.

When Norman was demobbed, he returned to East Dean to rebuild his life with his wife and two sons.

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