We'll Meet Again

I was lucky enough to be invited with a small band I sing with to go to a celebration in Stratford On Avon this afternoon, to sing some Forties songs to some wonderful old soldiers who have been awarded the French Legion of Honour.

'The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour (French: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur),[3] is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 May 1802. The Order is the highest decoration in France and is divided into five degrees of increasing distinction: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand Officier (Grand Officer) and Grand Croix (Grand Cross).

The order's motto is "Honneur et Patrie" ("Honour and Fatherland") and its seat is the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur on the left bank of the River Seine in Paris.'

They were being awarded this amazing tribute in recognition of the part they played in the D Day landings. Their story has been told in a film made by a Stratford schoolboy , as a school project, and he was there too.
I SO wish I had taken my proper camera as I would have loved some good photos of these wonderful men.
This is an iPhone photo of the medal pinned to the chest of Don Clarke, now partially deaf, frail and with a shrapnel wound in his leg. He was a Royal Marine in No 47 Commando , created specifically for Operation Overlord, and was part of the initial assault on Gold Beach.
Respect to them all, they deserve this long awaited recognition.