A 100-year-old man who helped free France from the Nazis has been awarded the highly coveted Order of Merit medal in recognition of his military service during the Second World War.
Eric Skelding, who is a resident at Ashby Court Bupa care home in Ashby, received the celebrated Legion d'Honneur medal, or the Legion of Honour award, for his part in the liberation of France in 1944-45.
The medal is one of the highest honours awarded by the French government, and Eric is among a dwindling number of surviving veterans given the medal to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation and it was presented to Ericeearlier this month.
Eric volunteered to join the army in 1939 and was part of the British Expeditionary Force which was eventually evacuated at Dunkirk in June 1940. He was a member of the South Staffordshire Regiment and joined them to take part in the Normandy landings in June 1944.
He fought through Normandy, including the battle for Caen, the liberation of France, followed by Belgium, Holland and finally into Germany. In the later stages of the war, he transferred to the Suffolk Regiment.
Eric was born in 1917 and was brought up in Stourbridge. He was a talented amateur dramatics enthusiast and was part of a local theatre group, the Stourbridge Players. He became friendly with Chris Gittins who went on to play Walter Gabriel in the popular radio soap The Archers. Prior to the war, Eric worked for the National Federation of Ironmongers.
Following the end of hostilities, Eric started a theatre group to entertain troops still stationed in Germany - through which he met his wife, Andrée. They married in 1949 and had two children together. He still acted occasionally, including a spell in The Archers.
After the war, he returned to his former job, eventually becoming director of the organisation and running a group of industrial trade associations based in Birmingham and Tamworth.
Eric said: "Looking back now, it seems like a different world, and I am glad that I have taken time to record in writing as best I can my memories of what happened during the war years and my time in the Army.
"I look back with some sadness because so many lives were lost, but also with enormous pride to have played my part in events that are still being talked about all these years later.
"I'm extremely honoured and grateful to be receiving the Legion d'Honneur more than 70 years after the liberation of France and will never forget the significance of the sacrifice made by so many during those months."
Liz Burrows, deputy home manager at Ashby Court Bupa Care Home, said: "Eric is what you would call the perfect gentleman. He's courteous, softly spoken and has lots to talk about, and he always has something interesting to say.
"He'll often talk to us in French and make us giggle, and whenever he talks to anyone at the home, it's always a very engaging conversation. He's a very popular resident and genuinely a perfect gent."
Excerpts taken from Eric's diary:
Eric on recalling some of the action in Dunkirk: "The next two days were something of a nightmare. We were bombed fairly frequently, machine gunned by air occasionally and there was nothing to eat and precious little water to drink.
"I remember finding a little packet of army biscuits lying on the sand, gathering my men around me and opening them so we could enjoy a meal together.
"Unfortunately they had been soaked in the sea and were so salty that they were impossible to eat, particularly as we were so thirsty."
On returning to England following the evacuation of Dunkirk: "Dover was an unbelievable sight of thousands of people cheering and shouting, bringing us cups of tea and something to eat."
On the Normandy landings: "By the time we finished fighting....we had eaten no food for about 14 hours and had no sleep for 24 hours, in addition to which we were absolutely soaked with rain, frozen stiff, fed up and far from home.
"The Germans are shelling us all the time and we have had several direct hits on battalion HQ. My jeep has been blown to pieces - we have taken quite a few prisoners. Could do with some sleep."
On coming towards the end of the war: "A few hours after we had received the ceasefire order, one of my men used my jeep to go and fetch a radio set from one of the outlying infantry companies and on his way back was killed by a mine in the road.
"I had myself travelled up that road several times already and by sheer luck had missed the mine every time. It was heartbreaking to have to write to his mother that evening to tell her about this when the war with Germany was virtually over."
Two Derby D-Day heroes honoured for their bravery by French Government
Two former servicemen from Derby who fought on D-Day in the Second World War have received the highest honour possible from France.
Derek Manifold manned anti-aircraft guns on HMS Khedive while Fred Ellis landed on the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944 as the struggle to liberate France began in earnest.
Mr Manifold and Mr Ellis, both from Mickleover and now in their 90s, were presented with their Legion D'Honneur medals in front of their proud families in a ceremony at Mickleover Royal British Legion Club.
Jean-Claude Lafountain, French Consul for Derbyshire, said: "It is not too strong to say that without these two gentlemen and what they did we would not be here today.
"D-Day was a pivotal one in the history of the Second World War and many thousands lost their lives so that we can enjoy the 72 years of peace that we have had on the continent ever since.
"The contribution that Derek and Fred made during their time as young servicemen cannot be emphasised enough and, on behalf of the French Government, it is a real privilege to present them both with their medals."
Mr Manifold, 92, from Alstonefield in the Peak District, joined the Royal Navy at the age of 17 and sailed the world between 1943 and 1946.
He was based on HMS Khedive, a US aircraft carrier, from which aircraft flew to protect the men in the army who landed on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day.
Mr Ellis, now 93, joined the Lincolnshire regiment as a teenager in 1942 and landed as part of the second wave on Sword beach in Normandy on June 6, 1944.
Steve Rogers, chairman of the Mickleover branch of the Royal British Legion, said: "As we know, both men survived D-Day but 4,414 did not.
"Few of us can imagine what Derek and Fred thought they would encounter on their travels or imagine what sights they would see on their service," he told our sister title the Derby Telegraph.
"Along with all who served alongside them their bravery is something that I pray we never need see again."
