Veteran, 98, handed France's highest honour
A British veteran has been awarded France's highest honour for his service during World War Two.
Dennis Smith, 98, from Dormanstown on Teesside, was presented with a Chevalier in the Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur at his care home in Middlesbrough.
He had joined the Home Guard aged 16, despite the official age requirement being 18. The French embassy said the country "owed their freedom and security" to his "dedication".
When awarded the insignia, Mr Smith said he was thinking back to being over there and that he was "very proud" to receive it.
The award recognised his "military engagement and steadfast involvement in the liberation of France", the embassy said.
In a letter informing Mr Smith of the appointment in December 2024, the French ambassador to the UK Hélène Duchêne said: "We must never forget heroes like you.
"We owe our freedom and security to your dedication, because you were ready to risk your life."
Mr Smith was presented the military award at Astune Rise care home by army representatives in a ceremony attended by his family.
He said: "It's lovely, isn't it? I'm very proud to receive that."
In 1944, Mr Smith joined the Green Howards and was sent to France where he later became part of the Black Watch Regiment.
His service took him through Belgium and the Netherlands and on to Germany, where he was based when the war ended.
Mr Smith later served with the Lincoln Regiment and the Worcester Regiment and took part in peacekeeping operations in Italy before completing his military service in Germany.
After leaving the armed forces he worked as a bus driver and met his wife, Rose, who was a conductor.
He has one son, two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
D-Day veteran, 98, awarded Legion d'Honneur
D-Day veterans receive French award
WW2 veteran given highest honour
La grande chancellerie
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
81 Years After D-Day: Honoring the courage that changed history
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — June 6 marks 81 years since D-Day — the largest seaborne invasion in military history and a pivotal moment that helped turn the tide of World War II. While the battle took place thousands of miles away, its legacy lives on through the voices of veterans and institutions like the USS Kidd Veterans Museum in Baton Rouge. Alexis Anderson, a U.S. Air Force veteran, reflected on the scale and significance of the operation. 'No matter how many times you look at that battle, it was so audacious,' Anderson said. 'They were amazingly committed to something during a time when, until Pearl Harbor, this country was very divided about how they saw this war. But they found the tenacity to come together.' On June 6, 1944, more than 150,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, launching an all-out assault against Nazi Germany in hopes of liberating Europe. The mission came at a high cost — thousands of lives were lost — but it marked the beginning of the end of the war. Eighty-one years later, those sacrifices continue to echo through history. For Parks Stephenson, executive director of the USS Kidd Veterans Museum, the day remains an example for future generations. 'They were all in their late teens, early twenties, and they were fighting for the fate of the world,' Stephenson said. 'It was freedom versus fascism. We still fight those fights today.' Inside the museum, one artifact stands out — a combat helmet worn by Staff Sergeant Pike, who went ashore on D-Day. 'This is a good visual representation of what you would see on those beaches,' Stephenson explained. 'The Allied troops stormed ashore facing front to the enemy, and the enemy fired back with ferocious firepower.' For veterans and historians alike, keeping the memory of D-Day alive is about preserving the values that defined it. 'It's to the youth that we're speaking to,' Stephenson said. 'This could be your war as well — and that's something I'd like to leave with everybody.' As time passes and the number of living World War II veterans dwindles, remembering June 6th becomes even more essential — not only as a lesson in courage, but as a reminder of the cost of freedom. National Guard troops arrive in Los Angeles after days of immigration protests Ohio State says every student will become fluent in AI with new program 81 Years After D-Day: Honoring the courage that changed history GOP braces for first 'test run' on codifying DOGE cuts The best trucks for towing for 2025 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Business Insider
9 hours ago
- Business Insider
I'm 92 and still live independently. I make sure to stay active, and I don't eat a lot of red meat.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mira Armstrong, a 92-year-old from Porepunkah, Australia. It has been edited for length and clarity. I built my home with my husband, Bruce, in 1956. Now that I'm 92 years old, I still live independently. I hope I croak it here. I was born in Poland in 1933 during the Depression. My father was a shoemaker and in the army reserve. When World War II broke out, he was taken prisoner and sent to Germany. My mother, siblings, and I followed. I got a rough start to life Life was pretty tough. We lived in a derelict, abandoned farmhouse and weren't allowed to go to school because we weren't German citizens. While German children were at school, we'd scavenge at the dump — once, we even found an old gramophone. Toward the end of the war, I remember hearing American planes overhead. An old German man cycled through our village, sounding a siren as they approached. They never bombed our village, only cities and factories. I remember watching thousands of British airmen being marched past on foot. They stopped and ate grass because they were so hungry. I wish I knew how to speak English back then, but I didn't. We moved to Australia after the war, and things changed After the war, we were moved from one displaced persons camp to another. Europe was in chaos. We spent some time in Italy, then came to Australia aboard the SS Skaugum. My father got a job in the ship's kitchen and was finally able to buy toothpaste. We'd cleaned our teeth with ash during the war. When we arrived in Melbourne on March 28, 1950, I was 17. It felt like heaven. Everything was so strange and unusual. We were finally free. My family eventually settled in Porepunkah, Victoria, and I met my husband, Bruce, at the local swimming hole. One day, he waited in his truck to pick my sister and me up from work, and that was it. We were married in 1954 — I was 21, Bruce was 24. Longevity could be hereditary — my mum lived to 97. She was hardworking and survived many hardships, too. But I have also made a few lifestyle choices that may have helped. Being active has always been a priority When I was younger, I used to cycle 24 kilometers to and from work, even to church in high heels. I did everything fast, whether it was housework or heaving hay bales around our farm. When Bruce and I built our house, we dug the foundation holes and the well by hand. We had five kids, and I was constantly busy. I worked in hospitality and retail, never behind a desk. These days, I still walk a lot, mainly around the house and outside, and I like to garden. I eat a balanced diet, and I don't drink or smoke I eat everything — probably because I remember the starvation during the war. Once, we went for four days without food. For breakfast, I have porridge or Weetabix. I eat soup full of veggies, wholemeal toasties, chicken, fish, and walnuts. There's not a lot of red meat in my diet. My vice is fruit, though I have to be careful because I'm borderline diabetic. I never smoked or drank, and I only recently started drinking coffee. Staying social and volunteering is key Our home was always social — full of friends and family. I enjoy spending time with my eight grandkids and eight great-grandkids. I've also done a lot of volunteer work: 29 years with Meals on Wheels, 14 years with the op shop, and years of church work. I get bored easily, and I enjoy giving back. My faith has given me comfort in tough times Bruce died in 1977 shortly after a trucking accident. He was 47 years old, I was 44. I still had three boys at home and about 70 cows to manage on our farm. It was a horrendous time, and I went through hell. I did three part-time jobs and took care of everything on autopilot. After Bruce died, I started cursing God and stopped going to church. Then, in 1992, my youngest son, Graham, was killed in a road accident. It was very difficult, and that's when I returned to church. My faith has brought me comfort ever since. I make sure to keep my mind active I keep my mind active with puzzles and reading. I enjoy thrillers, and hot romances, too. After Bruce died, I'd read romance novels through the night. In the morning, I didn't even remember what they were about. These days, I enjoy feeding the birds and gardening. For what it's worth, these habits may have led to my longevity, and they've surely contributed to my enjoyment of life. But my No. 1 tip for a long life? Don't die!
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
How school continued to study as bombs rained down
Air raid shelters used by schoolchildren during World War Two bombing raids remain an important part of an ancient common in Surrey. Teachers at Limpsfield School led pupils to the nearby bunkers to keep them safe from German bombs - and to continue their studies. There are six bunkers - one per year group - located at Limpsfield Common, and one was restored to its original condition in 2006. Rob Davey, from the National Trust, which runs the site, said it was easy to imagine that children were "probably pretty scared" when being moved to the shelter. The underground shelters can get cold, according to Mr Davey. "You can imagine what this was like in the middle of winter," he said. "It was dripping because it's concrete and very uncomfortable with no heating at all." Children faced a choice of where to sit when they arrived at the refuge: near the entrance with their teacher and be labelled a teacher's pet, or at the bottom near the escape hatch and a toilet, hidden behind a curtain. After that, they got on with their schoolwork. Mr Davey said the bunkers were used "fairly regularly" by the school and opened up to nearby residents outside of school hours as a "safe place to go". A direct hit from a bomb "could be really serious", he said, but otherwise pupils "had a very good chance of being protected". "It was really important that they got down here," he added. Two of the six shelters are now used as bat roosts. The children's journey between the school and the shelters involved navigating barbed wire, installed in open spaces prior to the Blitz to prevent enemy gliders and paratroopers from landing during a possible invasion. Limpsfield Common is also home to the remains of a Spigot Mortar anti-tank gun. "At that stage there was a real fear that Britain would be invaded by the Germans," Mr Davey said. Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. The underground school tunnels used during WW2 Nine killed in WW2 bomber crash remembered Evacuees from South East remember war experiences Limpsfield Common
