The last British survivor of the grinding trench warfare of World War I's Western Front has been made an officer of the French Legion of Honor.
French Ambassador Maurice Gourdault-Montagne gave 110-year-old veteran Harry Patch the medal Monday.
Patch was already a Knight of the French Legion of Honor. He received that award in 1998 along with more than 300 other World War I veterans.
Patch fought as a machine-gunner in the 1917 Battle of Passchendaele, where he was wounded.
He told Gourdault-Montagne that he appreciated the way the French honored the memory of those who fell irrespective of the uniform they wore.
The ceremony took place at Patch's nursing home in Wells. Wells is about 120 miles (190 kilometers) west of London.
No comments:
Post a Comment