French honour D-day operator

A former switchboard operator at the communications headquarters for the D-day landings is being awarded the highest French decoration.

Marie Scott was 17 years old when she was involved in listening to and collating messages for Operation Overlord at Fort Southwick, Portsmouth, Hampshire.

Now the 92-year-old from New Malden, south-west London, is being presented with the Legion d’honneur for her role in the invasion to liberate western Europe from the Nazis.

As part of the 75th anniversary of D-day in June, Ms Scott will travel to Normandy with a group of 30 Second World War veterans thanks to the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, which arranges trips for veterans. She will be officially presented with the Legion d’honneur by a French general at the Memorial Pegasus Museum in Normandy on 5 June.

She said: “I am truly overwhelmed to receive the Legion of Honour for the part we played in the D-day landings.

“Very few women have received this medal and it is a true honour. Being officially presented with the medal at the Pegasus Museum on June 5 surrounded by a group of World War Two veterans will be a very moving experience.”

A spokeswoman for the Taxi charity said: “Marie would pass messages from the continent to the leaders of Operation Overlord.”