D-Day hero Don, 100, fulfils his last wish with medal

ONE of the last D-Day heroes has fulfilled his final wish - after being granted a medal recognising his role in the historic invasion.

- TOM BEVAN

Don Butt with his set of medals and top left, Don in 1943. Below inset, the Légion d'honneur

(PICTURE: SWNS)

Don Butt, who lives in a care home in Shepton Mallet, was presented with the medal more than 80 years since he lived through the horrors of the Normandy landings.

And his daughter, who lives in Cheddar, has spoken of his family's pride.

The 100-year-old had previously said the medal would “complete his life” prompting a race against time to get the French authorities to approve it before it was too late.

And in an emotional meeting, Don was handed the insignia by marines in what his family said was a dream come true for him.

Don signed up to the Royal Marines when he was 17 and just a year later was part of the landing crew in the first wave at Juno Beach. His officers told him he was too young to disembark fully onto the beach.

But in a previous interview, he recalled being in the water and clinging on to ropes with bombs and bullets flying all around him to enable waves of troops ashore.

Don was in the direct firing line and watched friends and colleagues killed in front of him. For decades he didn’t speak about the day and has only recently opened up to family and friends - while living with the mistaken belief he was too young to be entitled to a medal.

After sharing his story with a fellow marine, efforts were made on his behalf to get Don the Légion d’honneur from the French authorities.

He was later told his age doesn’t matter but an initial application for his medal, submitted in 2024, was rejected by the French for reasons they didn’t disclose.

Following advice from the MoD, a second application was submitted last year which was said to be ‘working its way through the process’

The Royal Marines Historical Society also praised both the UK and French authorities for speeding up the process when the omission became clear.