On Monday April 14, we were honoured to welcome the French Embassy for a special celebration ceremony as they presented The Legion d’Honneur to OF and war veteran, Douglas Cracknell.
Col L.K Leinekugel and Col Gregoire de la Bernardie from the French Embassy were welcomed to Framlingham College by our Principal Louise North as we celebrated Honorary OF Doug Cracknell with The Legion d’Honneur service award ceremony.
Formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honor, The Legion d’Honneur is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, and was awarded to 99-year-old Doug Cracknell for his brave and valiant service during the D-Day landings at Normandy in World War Two.
The service, led our Chaplain Rev Canon Bryn Bayman, featured special readings, prayers and a series of tributes and tales about Doug from our CCF Commanding Officer Lt Colonel Martin Myers-Allen, the Embassy and his family.
Talking to ITV Anglian News after the service, Doug’s granddaughter Vicky Dann said her grandfather was “overjoyed” to have been awarded the honour, “not just for himself but for all those men who lost their lives from his regiment and throughout the rest of the war… It’s a celebration for him, for everyone [who fought in the war] and for our family and we feel blessed to be able to have the ceremony here at Framlingham College.”
Doug’s great-grandson Fin Dann said: “Everything he did at the age that he was, was just exceptional; to go over to another country, a new place, so unfamiliar, and not expecting what you’d come up against must have been terrifying – I don’t know many people from our generation that would be willing to do the same these days. It demonstrates his immense show of bravery, and we are all really proud of him.”
When he was just 14-years-old, Doug worked as a kitchen porter at Framlingham College, departing after Framlingham was bombed by a rogue Luftwaffe aircraft and joining the forces himself as part of the 5th Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry.
On 22 June 1944 aged just 18-years-old, Doug landed on the beaches of Normandy where he fought as an infantry soldier before being assigned to Operation Market Garden to assist in the capture of key bridges in Germany-occupied Netherlands. During which, he was wounded twice with a harrowing near miss by an enemy bullet which struck the STEN gun he had held to his face for protection – a decision that saved his life.
Talking about the ceremony, Doug said he felt “honoured” and “lucky” to be able to accept this in honour of all those who fought.
Col Gregoire de la Bernardie said: “It’s very important for us to be here, and it’s an honour to – on behalf of France – thank all the veterans who took part in the Second World War and fought during that time for our freedom.”
Martin Myers-Allen, our CCF officer and director of outdoor education at Framlingham College, said: “I’ve been a teacher, housemaster and head teacher here over the last 30 years and never experienced a man quite like Douglas. He is an inspiration to us all.”
WATCH: The full new piece on ITV Anglian News on the ITVX player.
