One of Britain's last surviving D-Day heroes is in a race against time to fulfil his 'final wish' to receive a medal recognising his role in the historic invasion.

Don Butt, who celebrated his 100th birthday earlier this month, said he would feel 'complete' to be awarded his D-Day medal before he dies - more than 80 years since he lived through the horrors of the Normandy landings.

Don signed up to the Royal Marines when he was 17 and just a year later was part of the landing crew in the first wave at Juno Beach.

His officers told him he was 'too young' to disembark fully onto the beach.

But he recalled being in the water and clinging on to ropes with bombs and bullets flying all around him to enable waves of troops ashore.

Don was in the direct firing line and watched friends and colleagues killed in front of him.

For decades he didn't speak about the day and has only recently opened up to family and friends - while living with the mistaken belief he was 'too young' to be entitled to a medal.

But after sharing his story with a fellow marine, efforts have been made on his behalf to get Don the Légion d'honneur from the French authorities.

He has since been told his age 'doesn't matter' but an initial application for his medal, submitted last year, was 'rejected' by the French for reasons they didn't disclose.

Following advice from the MoD, a second application was submitted earlier this month, which is said to be 'working its way through the process.'

His family say there has been 'frustration' with the delays and bureaucracy involved - but humble Don said he was just grateful for the support and receiving the medal would mean everything to him.

Now living in a care home in a village in Somerset, Don said: "It is very important to me. It would make my pack complete. It is the last one missing from my medals."

"Two or three people have tried for me. I don't know if they can get it or not. But that would complete my ambition. It is my final ambition - my final wish to get that medal."

"It would make all the places I've been and what I've done complete. I don't know a lot about the process. I know they tried and then it went a bit dead. "

"Whether they can still do it I don't know. But I would love to have it."

"I am not getting any younger. I've just had my 100th birthday which was wonderful. My family has done all they can to help me."

"My worries have all gone. I don't have any money but I don't want any. I am a happy man. I never tried before and I didn't think it bothered until this all started."

"I can not thank everyone enough for trying."

Don proudly shows off his other medals from Germany and the Pacific as well as his 'end of war' medal - but one glaring hole remains his D-Day campaign medal.

He acknowledged he never applied for one after leaving the marines and hadn't thought much about it until a fellow former marine he shared his story with "got the ball rolling."

He added: "I never expected it at all - certainly nothing like this."

"He was able to get my records and help me apply."

Don, a father-of-four, who has great-great grandchildren, said he was just 17 and a half when he went into the marines.

He added: "I guess they just waived it. There were two or three of us that age that went through training."

"We were on the landing craft and we took over French and Canadians on D-Day. I couldn't go fully onto the beach but I got my foot on the beach. We had to get off the landing craft to help all the troops off. "

"That was the officer's orders. He said 'no you must not go up the beach - you are too young.'"

"But we had to get off the landing craft and hold the rope. As Marines we didn't go on into France. Our job was to land the troops, come back and then go back again."

"We went back to the ship and then went back three times to land troops in Cherbourg."

"I think we did four trips in total."

Recalling the horrors he encountered, Don added: "I can still see all the D-Day landing troops going in. The sea was very rough and we were surrounded by all the carnage of war."

"There were shots going off everywhere, shells, bombs. I remember all that. I was very frightened of course, but after a few minutes you sort of settle down and get used to it in a strange way."

"We didn't stay long before going back to England to pick up more troops and head back over there."

"It was the carnage of war. Battleships everywhere and bombs going off. I admit I was scared but not to the extent of crying or anything like that. I had my mates with me and when you feel you've got your mate with you, you feel more secure."

"We were lucky overall. We only lost one man from our regiment. But I can remember it vividly - there were just so many ships."

After returning to the UK, Don remembers having a months leave and then was off to the Pacific.

"We were meant to land on Japan but there was news of the atomic bomb going off so we turned around."

In total he clocked up a staggering 42,000 miles at sea during the war.

After the war, Don met and married Margurite in 1947 and was taken in by her parents.

They were married for 66 years until she passed away 11 years ago.

They settled in Worle, Somerset, had four children, multiple grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. He spent most of his life working in the quarry industry.

His daughter Karen Cetin, 60, of Cheddar, Somerset, said he only started talking about his war time exploits very recently.

She added: "I am really glad he has started to talk about it. I always felt I did not want him to take it with him. It is a horrible thing to deal with and never talk about. I am so pleased he opened up and got it off his chest. "

"He may be 100 but he is in very good health and his mind is sharp and vivid. He is just a modest man and I think only last year he realised how proud of himself he should be."

Karen said the plea for his D-Day medal was now in the hands of the French government.

She added: "He had always claimed he never got medal as he was told he was underage. I think he was told at some point he couldn't apply for one so never did."

"He has said on a number of occasions now, if I get that medal my life will be complete."

"I had bought him one online as he was so passionate but haven't given it to him yet, as we want to get him the real one."

Karen added: "People are campaigning on his behalf. I have looked up online to see if I can do anything but the process with the French is long-winded and seems full of bureaucracy."

"But we are in a bit of a race against time. He is 100 and it is very important to him - and to us - that he gets recognised before it is too late."

"As he has said, his life would be complete if he got that medal. He has got all his others - and this would be very well looked after."

"The frustrating thing is the bureaucracy. I know we are talking 80 odd years ago. I think he has thought about it through his life but it is only really in the last couple of years it has been really important to him."

"I think it was around the 80th anniversary when it really came back to him and he thought- yes I want that now."

Karen also shared her memories of what her dad had told her about his role on D-Day.

She added: "Dad couldn't swim. I remember him saying he was in the firing line."

"He could hear all the gunshots and everything and he said to himself if I am going to die then shoot me and don't let me drown."

"He describes D-Day as horrifying and absolutely terrifying. He's never really spoken about it until last year."

"He doesn't say too much to us but he has opened up to a fellow marine. He just says D-Day was terrifying and he was lucky to be alive. He did talk about a couple that didn't come back and just says he 'did what he had to do.'"

John Rawlinson, of the Royal Marines Historical Society (RMHS), has been helping Don with his application.

He said: "Age doesn't matter. The application process is the problem."

"The MoD send out the forms but then have to return them to the French authorities, who either accept or reject the applications and it isn't always clear why some are rejected."

"Don's first application was made last spring and was rejected, to be fair it was ambiguous about his service so that may have caused it to be rejected."

"Frustratingly no one in the UK seems to have been told neither that it was rejected or why."

"Following advice from MoD a new application was submitted a few weeks ago. It's now working its way through the process."

"Don is very inspirational and understates how much his flotilla did. The first wave of ten craft got in and off ok, but the second wave lost five of their craft."

"The Canadians they landed had a tough time. After D-Day, Don landed three or four groups of Americans as they fought to take Cherbourg."

"He then sailed into the Pacific getting ready for the invasion of Japan, covered 42,000 miles."

An MOD spokesperson said it would be 'inappropriate' on application submitted through other countries.

But they added: "We owe a lasting debt of gratitude to those who served in the Second World War. Their courage and sacrifice secured the freedoms we enjoy today."

"This Government is committed to honouring our veterans and ensuring that all service personnel, veterans, and their families are treated with the respect they deserve."

The French authorities have been contacted for comment.