A 91-year-old war veteran has been presented with a prestigious French honour for his part in the Normandy landings in World War Two.

George James, from Malvern, travelled to La Rochelle in France to be presented with the Legion d'Honneur (Chevalier grade) on Thursday, July 14 - a national day in France known as Bastille day.

Mr James was 19 when he landed on Gold beach in Normandy on June 6 1944 for the D-day landings as part of the 2nd Battalion of the Hertfordshire regiment.

The landings were the beginning of a combined naval, air and land campaign to liberate Western Europe from Nazi Germany occupiers.

The landings took place on five beaches known as Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.

Mr James was given his honour - which is one of the highest French military orders - as part of a ceremony which included an inspection of the military detachments stationed near La Rochelle, in south West France.

The presentation was made by 95-year-old Commandant Jean Billaud, himself a holder of the Legion D’Honneur Medal (Grand Officier grade), and who had served in the RAF during World War Two.

Afterwards Mr James and his family attended an official reception at the Prefecture in La Rochelle.

Mr James said: "I was very honoured to receive the Légion d’Honneur medal and to receive it on French soil made it even more of a poignant and memorable occasion."