PEOPLE living in a small French town have said "thank you" to the British Army.
And in a moving tribute, they granted the Freedom of the Town to soldiers from the West Yorkshire-based Duke of Wellington's Regiment.
It was to thank the regiment for their bravery 87 years earlier, as the First World War was drawing to a close.
Soldiers from the Dukes - which recruits extensively in Huddersfield - were based in the small north-eastern town of Erquinghem-Lys, near Lille, where it fought during the war.
The regiment lost 15 officers and 391 soldiers in fierce fighting. But they also produced a hero.
Pte Arthur Poulter, a stretcher bearer, was awarded the Victoria Cross - Britain's highest gallantry medal - for venturing out alone 10 times into the German firing lines to save wounded colleagues.
His bravery was also recognised by the French people. The memorial to Pte Poulter they erected in 1998 was only the second by a French town in honour of a British soldier.
Now, in a moving ceremony, with a contingent of 50 soldiers providing the guard of honour and the regimental colours proudly displayed, the Colonel of the Regiment, Maj-Gen Sir Evelyn Webb-Carter received the `keys to the town' from the mayor, Alain Bezirard.
The historic regiment's association with Erquinghem-Lys began in April, 1918, when the 1/4th Battalion defended the town during the final great German offensive of the war.
In the heat of the battle Pte Poulter, from Leeds, was awarded a Victoria Cross for carrying 10 wounded comrades to safety under heavy enemy fire.
His citation read: `When acting as a stretcher bearer during the battle of Lys, he carried badly wounded men on his back through heavy machine-gun and artillery fire on 10 separate occasions.
"During the withdrawal over the River Lys he ran back under fire and brought a wounded man who he had left behind.
" He then bandaged 40 men under the same heavy fire and was dangerously wounded when attempting another rescue".
When asked afterwards by a local journalist where he got his strength from he put it down to his days working for Timothy Taylors brewery, carrying heavy sacks of barley.
In November, 1998, to mark the 80th anniversary of the armistice, Pte Poulter's exceptional heroism was recognised by the town with the unveiling of the memorial to him.
The Dukes provided the guard of honour that day and Timothy Taylor's traditional English ale - Madonna's favourite beer - was the `vin d'honneur'.
To celebrate this latest honour Timothy Taylors, the last independent brewery of its type left in West Yorkshire, produced a special brew of Havercake Ale.
It was first brewed in 2002 to mark the Dukes' centenary.
Soldiers of the Dukes are affectionately nicknamed The Havercake Lads, after the oatmeal bread cake which for centuries was a staple food of the Yorkshire Pennine towns and villages.
