A D-DAY veteran and "adored" great-grandfather from north Lancashire has received France's highest honour.

Back in June 1944, aged just 19, David Greenwood Rodwell embarked for the beaches of Nazi-occupied France in choppy night-time seas aboard an American landing craft.

The teenage Black Watch private and his battalion landed in waist-high water, rifles aloft, and walked up Gold Beach to march inland and into the wartime history books - David throwing his tinned-salmon rations to a woman standing at a shattered first-floor window in a row of war-damaged houses.

Now, almost 74 years later, France's top accolade for civil or military valour - the Legion d'honneur - has been bestowed upon the Bolton-le-Sands father-of-two. It was presented by honorary French consul Philip Daniel as part of the French government's pledge to honour all surviving veterans with the medal, initiated by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802.

As Mr Rodwell's family explained in their citation, the young David was 15 when war broke out and he was quickly "anxious" to play his part. As soon as he turned 18, he applied to join the Black Watch Regiment and his army career began in April 1943.

By spring 1944 his battalion, the 1st Tyneside Scottish (Black Watch), moved to Thetford to train in earnest for the invasion of France. Mr Rodwell still recalls one occasion when troops enacted a demonstration for Field Marshal 'Monty' Montgomery, the Allied commander; he believes King George VI and President Eisenhower were also present.

Stormy weather in the Channel delayed the battalion's leaving Newhaven, and troops finally sailed at 11pm on June 11, dark skies lit up by enemy flares at one point. Fuelled by "good" American coffee and food, the men reached Gold Beach at 3pm next day and marched seven miles, "uncomfortable in their wet clothes", to the small town of Esquay-sur-Seulles. Summer heat dried their uniforms en route, and they passed Monty outside his caravan.

The battalion's task was to recapture the strategically important village and ridge of Rauray from the Germans, and they set up camp in woodland while awaiting more troops and kit. Attack began at dawn on June 25, David's company leading the way and casualties mounting amid "terrible" fighting.

Rauray was secured on June 30, but on July 1 the Nazis launched a massive counter-attack with Panzer tanks, machine guns and mortars - "the bloodiest day of the battle".

By the month's end Rauray was securely liberated but at great cost to the Tyneside Scottish Battalion. Of 1,000 men posted to Normandy, 236 were killed and almost 600 wounded, including David. He remembers nothing more until he found himself in hospital back in Britain, the only survivor of a group of seven friends who set out for France.

He spent many months in hospital, and after the war was posted to Scotland's far north, to guard POWs, then to Egypt. Returning to civilian life in Bradford in August 1948, he married old friend Joan in 1950, now a war widow with a six-year old-daughter, Patricia. Mr Rodwell brought up the little girl as his own, and in 1957 son Michael was born.

The happy family moved to Bolton-le-Sands in 1970, but tragically Mrs Rodwell died four years later. At only 49, Mr Rodwell was a widower, and for the next few years he devoted his time to caring for Michael. He continued to live a full life after his son left home in 1980, cultivating wonderful displays in his garden and walking in the Lake District fells. With four granddaughters and six great-grandchildren, Mr Rodwell still loves to garden, with a little help, and describes his family as his "pride and joy".