TRIBUTES have poured in following the death of a 101-year-old D-Day veteran who helped liberate France from Nazi occupation.

Richard Aldred, from Callington, served as a tank driver in the British Army’s famed “Desert Rats” during the Second World War and played a role in the liberation of the Normandy village of Bourneville in 1944.

Speaking in 2024, Richard said: “I’m not a hero. I just did my duty because you don’t let your mates down.”

Richard was sent to France shortly before his 20th birthday, landing in Normandy days after the D-Day invasion. As part of the 7th Armoured Division, he fought through some of the fiercest fighting of the campaign during operations around Caen.

The reality of war stayed with him for decades. Reflecting on the aftermath of the landings, he once described Normandy as having “a terrible smell of death”.

During heavy fighting near Bourneville, Richard’s tank was destroyed by enemy fire. He and his surviving crewmates scrambled to safety and sheltered beneath a roadside crucifix, where they paused to say a prayer before continuing their advance.

In recognition of his role in the town’s liberation, he was later made an honorary citizen of Bourneville-Sainte-Croix.

Steve Nicholls, president of the Camborne branch of the Royal British Legion, said it had been “a privilege” to know him. The pair met through the Legion’s telephone buddy system in 2020 and spoke every Friday.

He described Richard as “a lovely, larger-than-life gentleman who should be honoured and remembered”.

Richard returned to Normandy several times in later life and attended commemorations for the 80th anniversary of D-Day in 2024, travelling from Cornwall to pay tribute to those who never came home.

The British Normandy Memorial said it was “very sad” to hear of his passing, remembering him as a loyal visitor whose stories helped keep the memory of a generation alive.