Bromsgrove veteran receives prestigious Légion d’Honneur medal for his role in D-Day - The Bromsgrove Standard

Bromsgrove veteran receives prestigious Légion d’Honneur medal for his role in D-Day

Bromsgrove Editorial 20th Sep, 2019   0

A VETERAN living in Bromsgrove has received the prestigious Légion d’Honneur medal from the French government for his part in the D-Day landings.

Albert Malin, 93, was just 17 when he helped load injured troops and German prisoners onto landing crafts while serving in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

He said: “I remember Tuesday, June 6 1944 very well.

“We didn’t actually visit the beach but we came very close and it was extremely dangerous.




“While we were loading up soldiers to take them back to English shores, we were constantly under-fire from warships and aircrafts going over our heads.”

The Arundel Road resident said he was immensely proud to be awarded France’s highest military honour and he will wear it with pride.


“It was thrilling to receive it in the post, with a nice letter too, but I felt sad not having many people to share it with.

“Although my niece Nicola does visit me quite often and she’s a lovely girl.”

Following Normandy, Albert, originally from Harborne, Birmingham, was deployed to the Far East in an aircraft carrier to help transport British troops to Egypt, India and Hong Kong.

Once he was released from the Navy aged 20, Albert worked as a firefighter in Birmingham until he retired at the age of 46.

“It was a wonderful job and I miss doing it.

“I often see fire engines driving around and I look at them in disbelief thinking to myself, ‘I used to drive one of those’.”

He then worked as a school caretaker at Woodrush High School in Redditch.

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