Skip to content

World War Two veteran receives medals 80 years late

By Laura JonesSarah Turnnidge & PA MediaBBC News, West of England

BBC  George Lewis sits in a walking aid outside a pub. He has white hair and wears a hearing aid and glasses. He wears a navy suit and dark patterned tie, and the ribbons of his two medals are visible behind his arm. BBC

George Lewis believes the original medals were likely “lost in the post”

A World War Two veteran has finally received his medals, nearly 80 years late.

Now 98 and living in Watchet, Somerset, George Lewis served with the Royal Tank Regiment from 1944 to 1947.

But he never received his medals, with Mr Lewis suggesting they may have been lost in the post.

Presented with the medals on Saturday afternoon, he said: “After all this time, to get those two medals, that was wonderful.”

The journey towards Saturday’s ceremony began when neighbour Valerie Norman contacted her brother, who served in the same regiment as Mr Lewis.

Her brother passed on the story to the Regimental Association, which provided the medals.

He was finally presented with the War Medal 1939-45 and the France and Germany Star at an event at the Royal British Legion Club in Watchet by the deputy lieutenant of Somerset Brigadier Richard Toomey.

PA Media The ceremony during which George was presented with his medals. He sits on a wooden frame under a gazebo, with two men in military dress holding flags. A number of other members of the Royal British Legion and his family stand under the gazebo. PA Media

Many members of Mr Lewis’ family attended the ceremony

Mr Lewis said: “It was a shock as much as anything. You imagine after all this time that they wouldn’t be able to find anything about you but they had a complete record.

“It seems like an awful lot of fuss to go to when what I did doesn’t seem like much, but it is nice to know that they respect what we did for people.”

Mr Lewis was signed up to serve in February 1944, one month after his 18th birthday, and was a commander of a tank, seeing action in Belgium, Holland and Germany.

He described how he and a friend would drive with a party of 10 to protect them while they dug a trench. In the evening, they would return to collect the injured.

George Lewis and Liz Lewis standing outside a pub. They both have white hair and wear glasses, and Liz is holding her father's arm. George wears a dark suit and tie with his two medals clearly on display, and Liz wears a black top and navy jacket.

Liz Lewis said her father felt “very honoured”

His daughter, Liz Lewis, who lives with her father, said: “It means a lot to us because we’ve talked about it before, that he hasn’t got his medals.

“We could never understand why he didn’t have any medals, but we didn’t do anything because he didn’t know the answer himself.

“He’d just say, ‘oh, they got lost in the post.'”

“I’m very pleased he is getting this recognition, he is really very honoured by all of this,” she added.