D-Day veteran to receive medals 82 years on

A D-Day veteran is to receive his wartime medals more than 80 years after the Normany landings he took part in.

Douglas Halley, from Sheffield, spent around eight years serving as a soldier in the Royal Artillery, and was present for the invasion in June 1944.

Now, decades after leaving the Army and as he rapidly approaches his 103rd birthday, Douglas will receive new medals to replace ones he lost when he was discharged.

Luke Halley, Douglas's grandson, said: "I feel absolutely honoured that after all these years he will get them."

Douglas was 20 when he enlisted, and still has clear memories of D-Day.

Luke said that as Douglas approached the beaches he "saw all of his brothers in arms floating in the water and all the mess".

"He saw all the bombs coming down and the bullets – he says that's one of his worst memories."

One of Douglas's favourite memories, however, was a brief moment of peace during his time in France.

"He came across a church in France and he played the organ - he was fantastic at the organ," Luke said.

Douglas was reprimanded for doing this, Luke said, when someone asked him: "How did you know there wasn't a German grenade under the organ lid?"

After leaving the Army, Douglas became a butcher and spent 70 years running three butcher's shops around Sheffield.

His eligibility for service medals was only discovered this year when Joseph Smith, founder of The Last Greats Project, visited him.

Smith, 27, has made it his mission to develop a "free archive" of veterans' stories by interviewing them and hearing their accounts first-hand.

This prompted him to contact veterans' families through The Not Forgotten charity and social media groups.

He came across Luke on social media and the two of them set up an interview with Douglas, when it soon became clear that he was entitled to medals he had mislaid.

Douglas recalls receiving the medals at the end of the war, but when he was demobilised and returned his uniform, the medals were still attached.

"Joseph said he's still entitled to get them, so we found out how to get them and they should be here this week," added Luke.

The family applied to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the medals, which are the 1939-45 Star, the France and Germany Star, and the War Medal 1939-45.

Luke said Douglas was "shocked" to hear he would be receiving his medals, but pleased he can pass them down to the younger members of the family.

The medals will be framed when they eventually arrive, Luke said, and added: "I was just unbelievably proud."

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