A WAR veteran who was one of the first off the boats in the D-Day landings has been awarded the French highest military honour in recognition to his service of their country.

Bill Speake, aged 90, who lives and grew up near Hay-on-Wye, was only 18 when he arrived on the beaches of Normandy while serving with the South Wales Borderers Army Regiment, in 1944.

“All hell broke loose as you can imagine but that’s war," said the father of four, who has eight grandchildren.

"It was an incredibly frightening experience. I lost friends and colleagues – that’s why I’ve come back to France so many times since to visit their memorials all over Normandy.

“There were 300,000 or so soldiers arriving within the first week or two of D-Day. War is a frightening experience, and we were so young, but you have to get over it. Human beings have to get over many things in their lives.

“You’re on the frontline and you’re going to be shot at.”

Mr Speake was in Normandy four months before he was captured as a prisoner of war and taken to Poland to work in the coal mines throughout 1944.

After nine months work he was marched from Poland to southern Germany and Munich in the winter of 1945.

He added: "The Americans picked us up near Munich where we were freed. They brought us back to Reims in France when the war ended in 1945 and the RAF picked us up in Lancaster Bombers."

Due to being a prisoner of war Mr Speake was severely undernourished and weighed only 10 stone, despite being six foot tall.

He was given two weeks annual leave to return home, but after just 10 days back in Wales he found himself in hospital struck down with Tuberculosis.

“I was a prime candidate to pick up the germ because of my weakened state of health being a prisoner of war,” said the widower, whose wife Pearle Mary, died of cancer a few years ago.

"I joined the army a physically fit young man but left the war with no energy to do simple tasks.

“I spent the next four years in military hospitals. What should have been the best years of my young life were spent in hospital."

After recovering from his illness the war hero went to Hereford County Hospital and trained as a state registered nurse before spending the rest of his life nursing.

As recognition of his sacrifice Mr Speake received France's highest military honour of Chevalier in the Légion d'honneur – a highly-regarded military decoration usually reserved for the country’s own citizens – at a formal ceremony in the National Assembly Wales building in Cardiff last week.

Speaking of his award, Mr Speake said: “The recognition of course comes from the fact that we were among those who helped to free the country. There’s only a few of us alive now to receive the award.

“I’m very proud. It’s a pleasant-looking medal, it’s beautiful and my family will treasure it.

“I feel sorry for all those who didn’t survive long enough to receive it. This is something we all deserve.”