A WAR veteran who was involved in Dunkirk in the Second World War and served with the First Free French Division said he is honoured to receive the Légion d'honneur.

Captain Alan Gilbert, of Broadmead, Corsham received the highest French order for military and civil merits in the post on Wednesday, November 30.

The 97-year-old said: "It is a great honour for me and I already have the Croix de Guerre, Territorial Decoration medal and an MBE. I am hopefully going to go to the event in Bath where I will be formally presented with it by the French consul. My family are so pleased."

After Dunkirk Captain Gilbert went on to serve in North Africa and Italy and Southern France before heading to Aleppo in Syria as the British Liaison Officer.

"It was a French mandate controlled by the Vichy French and we had to move them out because we did not know how they were going to react," he explained. "When I was recommended for my MBE, the general said that it was because of me that we did not have any fighting in the streets."

The family of Captain Gilbert, who has lived in Corsham for 27 years, have said they are so proud of him while his close friend Louise Davies, 95, from Broughton Gifford, said: "This is great news for Alan. I am so proud of him as are his family of course. It is wonderful and it is nice for the people of Corsham to know too."