Honours for WW2 veteran who 'just did my duty'

A World War Two veteran from Cornwall has been looking back at a year in which he met royalty and was declared a hero.

In June, Richard Aldred, from Callington, travelled to Normandy for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings where he met King Charles III and they shared a joke.

Two months later, the 100-year-old returned to the region and visited Bourneville, a town he and his tank crew helped liberate 80 years ago.

He was given the status of Freeman of the Town, which surprised him as "I just did my duty", he said.

During World War Two, Mr Aldred was a Cromwell tank driver attached to the 7th Armoured Division in the Army.

He met the King at the commemoration of the start of the Battle of Normandy at the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer on 6 June.

Mr Aldred said: "I must have said something funny because we were laughing about it all.

"He's nothing like a king you read about in history books where you get your head chopped off for saying the wrong thing.

"He was a bloke you would be happy to have breakfast with and a laugh."

Mr Aldred returned to Normandy on a personal pilgrimage two months later.

He went to the town of Bourneville where, after meeting local schoolchildren, he was the guest of honour at a special dinner at which he was awarded his freeman status.

He said: "They made a tremendous fuss of me, which was a bit embarrassing. I don't feel as if I deserve it.

"I'm not kidding you. I think they think I'm a hero, like John Wayne from a cowboy film.

"I'm not a hero. I just did my duty because you don't let your mates down."

Mr Aldred said he was planning to return to Normandy again next year if his health permitted it.

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