A 101-YEAR-OLD Looe man has been presented with the Legion d'Honneur 84 years after he won it on the battlefields of France during the First World War.
Mr Charles Jennings was awarded the medal, one of France's highest honours, in 1915 but he never collected it.
He had registered for service in 1914 when he was 17 and joined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment at the age of 18.
In 1915 he was en route to France, landing in Le Havre with his regiment.
He remembers being in France for quite a long time, on a detail to lay telegraph cables. He came under heavy artillery fire which resulted in his colleagues being killed and he being seriously wounded in the back and legs. He spent the remainder of the war either in hospital or in convalescence.
From the outset he never wanted to talk about his experiences during the First World War and few apart from his family knew that he had been awarded the Legion d'Honneur.
It was ultimately through his daughter Ruth Jennings, who also served in the army, and the Looe Branch of the Royal British Legion, that the medal has been presented after all this time.
Miss Jennings was wearing her father's medal ribbon on her jacket during a Royal British Legion Parade and it was recognised by Ron Overd, Chairman of Looe RBL.
When he heard that Mr Jennings had never received the medal he began steps to obtain it for him and this week was delighted to make the presentation on behalf of the French government.