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John Wintle’s Photo Albums.

 

Arborfield Army Technical School.  Intake October 39.

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Legion D’Honneur.

 

Editor’s note.

On the 20th February 2015, The Honorary Consul of France in Cardiff awarded the ‘Legion D’Honneur’ to

ex Arborfield Army Apprentice John Wintle of the October 1939 intake.  The event was reported by I.T.V. and Wales On Line.

To read the full article by I.T.V.    

 

To read the full article by Wales Online    

 

The following article is a compilation of the details included in both publications with the emphasis laid on John Wintle’s participation.

 

The material used is acknowledged as the Copyright © of both companies, as are the sources.

http://www.itv.com/news/wales             http://www.walesonline.co.uk

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‘Legion D’Honneur’.

 

 

Cardiff, Wales. 20th of February 2015

 

John Wintle receives the award of the Legion D’Honneur from Marie Brousseau-Navarro, Honorary Consul of France in Cardiff, who said that……….

“The British authorities have allowed the French Government to recognise the selfless acts of heroism and determination displayed by all surviving veterans of the Normandy landings and of the wider campaigns to liberate France in 1944.”

“The whole of France, past and present, expresses its immense gratitude to the youth which 70 years ago fought in Normandy and who are the last living witnesses of that youth engaged in the war against barbarity and Nazism.”

“I always wonder what my life could have been, and what the life of my family would have been, without these heroes who helped and came to France to fight, and suffered great losses.  They continued to fight to liberate us and we are eternally grateful.”

 

John Wintle, Marie Brousseau-Navarro and the son of Ernest Stringer, accepting the award for him.

 

The presentation party and recipients of the ‘Legion D’Honneur.

 

Merville John Wintle, Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers.

 

Mr Wintle was a 20-year-old craftsman in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers when he landed on Gold Beach in June 1944 to offer mechanical support to troops in the D-Day landings.

The D-Day landings were a turning point in the Second World War. Though they were successful, they came at a cost of thousands of lives.

 

 “It's a mixture of pride and gratitude in one way. I never expected it. When we were in Normandy we did our duty, did what we were told, and that was it. There are very many still in Normandy that did a lot more than I and deserve a medal like this.  It is equivalent to a British Empire Medal. It is a great honour, I will wear it with pride and gratitude with my British medals.”

“Our politicians may not always agree together but the medal comes from the people of France through their President as shown by the warm reception we receive whenever we return to pay our respects to the comrades we left behind. It is still as warm as the reception received when first landed in France in 1944.”

 

Recalling landing on the central beach in the invasion area, Mr Wintle said he was too young to be frightened. “We were young and a gang together and did not know what we were going into. We had our heads and our hopes high.  Next morning when we woke up to hear shells exploding the Germans were two miles away. You just got your head down.”

Checking for booby traps, recovering and mending equipment after battle and setting up a hospital laundry Mr Wintle saw some of the grim aftermath of fighting.  Moving on to the town of Caen he helped set up an emergency workshop across the river from Nazi invaders before pushing on into Belgium and eventually Hamburg when fighting ended.

“The French people were very generous,” he said. “They didn’t have much food but they gave us cognac. It is an honour to get this medal now.”

Merville John Wintle.

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First Published: 1st March 2015.

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