A 93-year-old veteran of the Second World War has been recognised for his part in helping to liberate France.
Stanley Kitching, of Romanby, Northallerton, has finally received the Legion d'Honneur – France's highest honour for military service for his actions during the D-Day landings.
It's been a long wait. The former Able Seaman on the destroyer HMS Undaunted applied for the medal in 2016, was told he was successful but then heard nothing. And when the French authorities finally dispatched the medal it got lost in the post.
Mr Kitching enlisted the help of his MP Rishi Sunak who liaised with the Minstry of Defence to get the medal sent to his constituency office. Last Friday, Mr Sunak presented the medal to Mr Kitching on behalf of the French Republic.
The veteran said: "It's a wonderful honour to receive this medal which has taken so long to reach me. I feel very proud."
Mr Kitching said he spent D-Day on HMS Undaunted taking part in the bombardment of the Normandy beaches before the Allied forces went ashore. His job was to load shells into the magazine which fed the destroyer's four guns.
Later in the day HMS Undaunted was given the honour of taking the Supreme Allied Commander General Eisenhower back to Portsmouth.
Mr Kitching said: "I never got to see the actual beaches because I spent the whole day below deck."
Earlier in his service career, Mr Kitching saw action on the aircraft carrier HMS Biter protecting the Atlantic convoys which were the lifeline for the British war effort. After D-Day he served in the Mediterranean and Pacific on board Undaunted.
Mr Sunak, MP for Richmond, said it had been a privilege to help Mr Kitching and to present the medal. "We should never forget what Mr Kitching and all those who served did to protect our freedoms from Nazi tyranny."