Legion d’Honneur for two war veterans
War veterans Donald MacIntosh and David Flint were presented with the Legion d’Honneur at a ceremony at the Royal British Legion Scotland branch in Crieff earlier this month.
The ceremony, held on Friday, September 2, was attended by friends, family and well-wishers.
The presentations were carried out by Consul General Emmanuel Cocher.
Glasgow-born Mr MacIntosh (94) joined the police force as a cadet in Clydebank.
He was on patrol when bombs fell on the town, causing widespread devastation and claiming 600 lives.
He then joined the RAF and trained in Florida for two years. When he returned to the UK, Mr MacIntosh led a six-man team of the Bomber Commander IX Squad, flying Lancaster Bombers on 41 missions.
One of his raids was to Hitler’s home in Berchtesgadan, razing it to the ground. But the Fuhrer had moved out to another location shortly before the operation.
Mr MacIntosh was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for his role in the sinking of the formidable German battleship, the Tirpitz.
His bomber, Cock of the North, was the last one to open fire on the ship, sending it to the seabed.
After the war, Mr MacIntosh spent 35 years flying commercial planes around the globe. He has also written three books, including the autobiographical Bomber Pilot.
Mr Flint (97) began his wartime career with the Royal Corps of Signals in 1939, stationed in Eaglesham near Glasgow.
In 1941, he was promoted to Lieutenant and was posted to the third division.
He landed on the D-Day beaches on June 6, 1944, coming ashore from a landing craft tank near Hermanville and fighting his way through France, Holland, Belgium and Germany for more than a year.
He was mentioned in Dispatches for his wartime service.
Mr Flint left the army in July, 1946, with the honorary rank of Major. He returned to the UK to study as a chartered accountant.
He became president of the institute of chartered accountants in Scotland in 1975 and in 1981 he was appointed viceprincipal of the University of Glasgow.
He was the first person to be awarded the Institute of Chartered Account of Scotland’s lifetime achievement award in 2013.
The National Order of the Legion of Honour was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 and is the highest decoration in France.
The French government announced in 2014 it would honour all surviving Allied servicemen who fought to liberate the country in the war with the Legion d’Honneur.