A D-Day veteran recognised with a train named in his honour has insisted he does not deserve the accolade.
But BBC Breakfast viewers watching Royal Engineer Horace "Harry" Billinge at the unveiling on Wednesday morning disagreed, pouring praise on the war hero.
The former Royal Engineer was aged just 18 when he stormed the beaches in German-occupied Normandy during the landings on June 6, 1944.
The sapper, the title given to a combat engineer, was one of the first British soldiers to land on Gold Beach.
Hailing from St Austell, Cornwall, the veteran was awarded an MBE last year for charitable fundraising after collecting more than £50,000 for fellow former soldiers.
As a Great Western Railway Intercity Express train named in his honour was unveiled, he said: “I don’t deserve that.
“I’m very proud to be numbered among such people.
“I’m only a common or garden sapper.”
He added: “On the citation it says I risked my life. Well, so did everybody else. What a load of nonsense. Everybody risked their life at some point, there was loss of many, many, many, many men… 22,442 men died.”
The veteran added that he had never sought any promotion, and that he was an independent man responsible for his own life on that crucial day - as was every other soldier.
Viewers poured praise on the sapper on social media, insisting he did deserve the token of recognition.
One Twitter user wrote: "How amazing and humble Harry Billinge is. What a bloke."
Another added: “This man is a legend! Awesome hero.”
The Normandy Trust, a charity behind the British Normandy Memorial, thanked the veteran on Twitter, writing: “As ever, the Trust is so grateful to you for everything you’ve done.”
The former soldier was later pictured travelling on his train, holding a cup of tea.
The train operator has dedicated six trains to "remarkable individuals" involved in the Second World War this year, 75 years after its conclusion.
Others to be honoured include Sir Winston Churchill and Alan Turing.
