A NEWLY awarded medal glinted brightly as it sat in its red leather box, proudly held in the hands of an Ulverston war veteran.

At a ceremony held in Barrow on Wednesday, William Gerrard Lackey was awarded the Legion d'Honneur - the highest French order of merit.

Mr Lackey, known as Gerry, is 96 years old, having long hung up the RAF uniform he wore throughout the Second World War.

He was honoured by the honorary French consul for Liverpool for his role in liberating France from Nazi occupation more than 70 years ago.

However, he is unsure why such a fuss is being made over him, a long-retired airman.

He said: "I feel it's hard to say, I'd say it was a surprise. I'm don't know if I deserve credit."

In 1944, Mr Lackey was one of thousands of soldiers who crossed over from Britain, to Normandy as part of the D-Day landings.

His job in the RAF was as a mobile radar operator. His unit would support frontline forces, detecting enemy aircraft and calling in air support.

He said: "They were stubborn, some of those Gerries. The army would get in touch if they were held up, and we'd be in touch with the pilots."

For the remaining year of the war, Mr Lackey travelled through France, Belgium, the Netherlands and finally into Germany itself as the allied armies pushed onward.

He recalled with a smile a time when the enthusiasm of his unit got the better of them, and they found themselves ahead of the main line.

"We were up near Arnhem, but we had to pull back because we were too far forwards."

The story of Mr Lackey is similar to so many who bravely went to war to fight tyranny.

He was born in Ulverston on Feburary 18, 1921. He initially worked at the local Co-operative Society in their tailoring department after leaving school at the age of 14.

It was in 1941 that Mr Lackey volunteered to join the RAF, believing that the war would soon be over. He said: “I initially tried to join the air crew but, due to delays, I ended up joining as ground staff. Basically, I didn’t want to join the army nor did I want to sign up to the navy, mainly because I couldn’t swim."

Gerard then completed his square bashing (military drill) in Blackpool in May 1942, before undertaking his training on radar at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire, in July.

He soon found himself relocated to the south coast, despite requests to stay north. He recalled: “I remember being at Cranwell and being given a form to fill out with regards to where I’d like to be posted. I requested to be kept in the north west Area, but, after being posted to the Isle of Man, I was then sent to RAF Valley on the Isle of Anglesey and later Swanage in Dorset. It was here that I learnt how to drive the wagon for the mobile radar. I remember, the night before D-Day, we were on the south coast and we could see the gliders being towed across to France."

Gerard was deployed to France, landing at Arromanches where he and his group were initially forced to stay in the landing craft overnight whilst the tanks were first unloaded.

Of his time in France, Gerard recalls making the acquaintance of a local postman, and the small moments of peace found during the fighting. He explained: “I remember one day being on guard duty at a camp when a young French man came up to me and, after a short conversation, invited my friend and I to his house for supper. As it transpired, this man was the local postman. As well as this, I remember the local children often used to come and visit us in the camp bearing eggs, which we’d subsequently exchange for cigarettes."

After the war, he returned back to Ulverston, taking back his job at the Co-op. He eventually moved on to work at GlaxoSmithKline, where he retired in 1983.

His daughter, Kathryn Edwards, 58 said how proud she was seeing her father awarded his medal.

She said: "It was wonderful; I was a bit upset."

Mr Lackey still lives in Ulverston, enjoying a quiet life with his partner, Winnie Hodgson.