War veteran Walter Brown died at the age of 92 – just three months after receiving a medal from the French government for his part in helping to liberate Europe.

Mr Brown, who was a resident at Linden Lodge Nursing Home in Tamworth, served as a Royal Marine Commando during the Second World War, and in December 2015 received a Legion of Honour.

He was delighted to be among the veterans to get a medal, believing it showed how much the French appreciated the part he and his fellow soldiers played in their liberation. He had completed two years’ service in India and Burma before he joined the campaign to set France free.

Nursing home staff and family members organised a party to celebrate Walter’s honour. He also received a spontaneous round of applause in The Pretty Pigs, Amington where he went to celebrate with his family.

His daughter Sally Pratt said she would remember her father as a ‘very protective, strong, intelligent and fun-loving person.’

“He was a proper patriarch and as the eldest of eight children he used to take responsibility for looking after his siblings,” she said.

“I’m so pleased he got this honour in time – it gave him such a lift.”

Mr Brown was born in August 1923 and was married to Violet for 62 years before she died in 2009.

He is survived by four children, ten grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild, with another on the way when he passed away. He worked as a medical sales representative until he was 70.

He also had a lifelong love of music and was known for his singing and dancing at Linden Lodge. He was president of the Birmingham branch of the Royal Marines Association.

His funeral service was held at Sutton Crematorium. At the end of the ceremony, family and friends waved their handkerchiefs during a rendition of Gracie Fields’ Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye.

Standard bearers and a bugler were also in attendance to mark Mr Brown’s military connections. A party, ‘full of song’, was held in his honour at the Queen’s Head in Wilnecote where he enjoyed several family get-togethers.