ITALIAN dignitaries feted a Huddersfield war veteran at ceremonies marking the liberation of Rome.
Jack Noble, 85, of Jackson Bridge, was among thousands of Allied troops invited to Italy for the 60th anniversary of the withdrawal of German troops from the country.
The event remembered those soldiers killed in bitter fighting at the crucial battles of Anzio and Monte Cassino.
Mr Noble's regiment landed at Anzio in a flotilla of amphibious tanks at the beginning of 1944.
The port was 60 miles behind the German lines on the western coast of central Italy.
Although the operation was a complete surprise, the Germans soon recovered and began bitter counter-attacks which saw the Allies heavily outnumbered.
"Our landing was quiet at the beginning, but crikey did they soup it up afterwards!" said Mr Noble.
As the only member of the six- day tour to have actually been at Anzio, Mr Noble was presented with a commemoration medal and certificate by the city's president, Patrizlio Colanturone.
His 81st Regiment repulsed German counter-attacks before the Axis troops eventually withdrew and Rome was taken - exactly 60 years ago today.
Mr Noble was badly injured by shrapnel in October, 1944, and sent back to England to recover.
After the war he worked as a postman around Jackson Bridge for many years.
His visit was the first time he had returned to Anzio since the fighting.
He went to the ceremonies with his son, David, 55, who now lives in Retford, Nottingham- shire.
"Our guide on the tour actually took me within 100 yards of where we landed," said Mr Noble.
