Top honour for modest rear gunner

Australind resident Tom Lofthouse will be awarded with France’s highest honour for his role in the historic D-Day battle 70 years ago.

Mr Lofthouse, 91, was supposed to travel to France for the D-Day commemorations in Normandy earlier this month but ill health prevented him from travelling.

The six Australian veterans who did travel were awarded with the French Legion of Honour, the country’s highest award.

The French Embassy in Australia has confirmed Mr Lofthouse will also receive the award.

“Mr Thomas Lofthouse was on the list of veterans who were supposed to go to France to receive the Legion of Honour, ” an Embassy spokeswoman said.

“The French decoration will be given to him at a convenient time for him and a representative of the French Embassy in Australia. But as of today, nothing has been planned yet.”

Mr Lofthouse served as a rear gunner in a Halifax bomber as part of Bomber Command.

His 466 Squadron was tasked with bombing artillery batteries at Maisy, one of the biggest German defensive positions at the Ohama section of Normandy.

Mr Lofthouse said he did not know if he deserved the French Honour, describing his role on D-Day as “mediocre service”.

But he said the award recognised Bomber Command’s role in the war.

“We were so criticised after the war for our indiscriminate bombing, ” he said.

“Prominent people in churches condemned us for what we were doing.

This is recognition, I think, that we did play a part and we weren’t altogether the terrorists carrying out terror bombings that we were accused of.”