Mr Peter Corliss, who celebrated his 90th Birthday in April, has been awarded with the Legion d'honneur medal for the part he played in the D-Day Landings on 6th June 1944.
Peter was 19 at the time when he reached the beaches in a landing craft, as they prepared to disembark the craft became stranded on a stake planted on the shoreline. The stake had a mine attached to it, luckily it did not go off. The captain ordered the men off the boat as it was laden with 4000 gallons of fuel, this meant they had to take refuge in a crater on the beach overnight and were only able to escape the following morning.
Peter was told last year by the Ministry of Defence that the French were in discussions with the British government about honouring the British Soldiers who fought in the D-Day Landings but he did not hear anymore until October this year. Peter received a package in the post from the French Ambassador containing the Legion d'honnuer medal and a personal letter.
This medal is the highest honour in France, originally established by Napoleon in the 19th Century. He has also been awarded the rank of Chevalier which is the highest rank available in the French military.
Everyone at Harroway Manor is extremely proud of him and delighted he has been rewarded in this way.
Peter was 19 at the time when he reached the beaches in a landing craft, as they prepared to disembark the craft became stranded on a stake planted on the shoreline. The stake had a mine attached to it, luckily it did not go off. The captain ordered the men off the boat as it was laden with 4000 gallons of fuel, this meant they had to take refuge in a crater on the beach overnight and were only able to escape the following morning.
Peter was told last year by the Ministry of Defence that the French were in discussions with the British government about honouring the British Soldiers who fought in the D-Day Landings but he did not hear anymore until October this year. Peter received a package in the post from the French Ambassador containing the Legion d'honnuer medal and a personal letter.
This medal is the highest honour in France, originally established by Napoleon in the 19th Century. He has also been awarded the rank of Chevalier which is the highest rank available in the French military.
Everyone at Harroway Manor is extremely proud of him and delighted he has been rewarded in this way.
