RAF veteran Stanley Booker, 98, awarded Legion D'Honneur

Stanley Booker has been awarded the Legion D'Honneur by the French government

A 98-year-old RAF veteran who survived "brutal interrogations" by the Nazis during World War Two has been awarded France's highest military honour.

Former squadron leader Stanley Booker, from Bracknell in Berkshire, was 22 years old when his plane was shot down over northern France in June 1944.

Mr Booker was imprisoned until May 1945 and later received an MBE for his post-war work with British intelligence.

He has now been awarded the Legion D'Honneur by the French government.

Armed forces charity the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) said Mr Booker, who was born in Gillingham, Kent, "richly deserved" the medal.

Aged 17 when he signed up as an RAF apprentice, he trained as an observer in Wales before joining 10 Squadron as a navigator flying on Halifax bomber aircraft.

When Mr Booker's plane was shot down, the aircraft's pilot and wireless operator were killed, while other crew members escaped by parachute and went on to find refuge with the French resistance.

SSAFA said he was hidden by members of the resistance, but betrayed to the Gestapo by a Belgian traitor.

The charity said Mr Booker was captured and put through "brutal interrogations" before being interned at Fresnes prison to the south of Paris, where he was denied prisoner of war status.

'Strength of character'

On August 15, five days before the liberation of the French capital by allied forces, Fresnes inmates were taken to Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany before being transferred to Stalag Luft 3 camp in Poland.

A few weeks later, the prisoners were forced on a three-week march back to Germany, where Mr Booker remained until the war in Europe ended in May 1945.

Barry Dickens, chairman of SSAFA Berkshire, said Mr Booker had "packed more into the first 20 or so years of his life than most would in their whole lifetime".

"Modest and unassuming his survival after bailing out of his stricken aircraft is a testimony to his courage, fortitude, and strength of character," he added.