Sask. Second World War veteran, 103, receives France's highest national order

Richmond Arthur Deck (centre) and Consul General of France in Vancouver Nicolas Baudouin (left of centre) surrounded by members of the Royal Canadian Legion and Deck's family. (Courtesy: Consul General of France)

A Saskatchewan-born veteran of the Second World War was recently presented with France’s highest national order.

Richmond Arthur Deck received the insignia of  “Knight of the Legion of Honour” in a ceremony on July 18 in Langley, B.C.

Nicolas Baudouin, the Consul General of France in Vancouver, presented Deck with the order.

“What you and your comrades, vos amis, vos frères d’armes, decided to do, your absolute courage, it goes beyond words,” Baudouin said in his remarks. “So I’ll simply say this: From the bottom of my heart, thank you, du fond du Coeur Richmond Arthur, merci. Our gratitude is everlasting.”

Deck was born in 1921. The second oldest in a family of seven, he was raised in rural Saskatchewan. When he came of age, he volunteered to serve with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

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His basic training brought him to Brandon, Man. From there, Deck travelled to England in 1944, joining the RCAF’s 429 Squadron – then attached to the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Bomber Command.

As a crew member on a Halifax heavy bomber, Deck took part in 31 raids over Germany – one more than the required 30 missions for air crews in that conflict.

It was that last mission that proved to be the hardest.

Richmond Arthur Deck. (Courtesy: Archives Canada)

Deck’s bomber was shot down and he was captured in January of 1945. He spent the remaining months of the war in Europe as a POW – eventually being liberated in May.

After the war, Deck returned to Saskatchewan where he married his wife Jean, with whom they had three children.

In 1958, Deck and his family made the move to British Columbia where they purchased a motel which they ran successfully before retiring in Langley.

Deck, now 103, is the latest Canadian veteran to receive recognition from the French government for service overseas during the Second World War.

“History is a lesson for the future,” Baudouin said. “The page you have written will never be turned, it is etched forever in our lives.”

Over 1.1 million Canadians and Newfoundlanders served during the world’s most deadly conflict. More than 44,000 servicemen and women never made it home.

The French government continues to search for Canadian veterans who took part in operations on French soil during the Second World War.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Consulate General of France in Vancouver or the French Embassy in Ottawa.

Veterans could be eligible for the Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honour). In accordance with France’s Code of the Legion of Honour, the distinction can only be bestowed to those who are still living when the decree is issued.

Veterans cannot receive the medal posthumously.