A D-Day veteran who captured the tallest soldier in the German army in a comic 'David v Goliath' moment has been awarded France's top honour.

Corporal Bob Roberts, from Bournemouth, was one of the first troops to set foot on the Normandy beaches, and fought across France, Belgium and Holland.

In Calais he was involved in one of the more bizarre confrontations of the Second World War.

Standing at 5ft 3ins, the diminutive soldier took the surrender of 7ft 6ins tall Jakob Nacken and the amusing moment was caught on camera by a comrade.

"I didn't take a lot of notice of this guy at the time," said Bob, 92.



Last year the French government announced it would honour all living Allied servicemen who helped liberate the country by awarding them the prestigious Legion d'honneur, and Bob's medal arrived this week.

"I thought it was never going to come and was a bit surprised when it arrived recorded delivery in the post," said Bob.

"But I am glad it has and I feel very lucky and privileged to have it.

"I was just doing my bit in the war and was very lucky a number of times."

Rob Smith, a historian from Sherborne, is now trying to arrange for a French Embassy official to present Bob with the medal.

Originally from New Brunswick, Canada, Bob enlisted with the North Shore Regiment of the Canadian Army in 1942.

On D-Day he was in one of the first landing craft to come ashore on Juno Beach.

He had many narrow escapes, such as when a sniper's bullet grazed his temple, a shell blast killed the man next to him, an enemy spy was shot dead just as she was about to kill him and during a duel with a German officer.

Another narrow escape owed much to a tragic quirk of fate after his younger brother Ernie took up the same position Bob left when his company was relieved, only to be killed the next day.

Bob returned to England after the war and married his sweetheart, Vera, and they had four children, 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.