THE family of celebrated Musselburgh war veteran the late Dr Tom Renouf MBE made an emotional trip to France to see a village square named in his honour, as the 80th anniversary of D-Day was commemorated.

His son George, daughter-in-law Karen and his three grandchildren Max, 27, an officer in the Royal Navy, James, 26, and Emma, 25, made the trip to Mauny in Normandy for the poignant ceremony.

The Renouf family – Max, Emma, Karen, James and George – in Mauny, Normandy

This is the second French square to have been named after Dr Renouf, who fought with the 51st Highlanders during the Second World War and helped organise numerous trips overseas for the Highland Division Veterans Association members to commemorate their bravery.

Dr Renouf, who died in June 2016 at the age of 91, was also a recipient of France’s highest military honour, the Légion d’Honneur, for his part in liberating French communities.

In 2017, his family, including his widow Kathleen, who was unable to attend this time, were present when a square in the Normandy village of Veules les Roses was named after him. Although he was not there in 1939, Dr Renouf had visited Veules les Roses many times to commemorate the capture of the Highland Division at the beginning of the conflict.

Dr Tom Renouf MBE passed away in 2016

A former pupil of Musselburgh Grammar School, he was called up in September 1943 and posted to the 2nd Battalion London Scottish, and transferred to the Tyneside Scottish, which then became part of the 5th Battalion, Black Watch.

He landed in Normandy as part of the D-Day landings, took part in the liberation of France, Holland and Belgium and the Rhine crossing, where he was awarded the Military Medal and promoted to lieutenant. He was wounded in France but went back to his regiment.

Commemorations to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation were held in Veules and Saint Valery in 2014, which were attended by Dr Renouf, the only 51st Highlanders’ veteran.

Dr Renouf’s three grandchildren were all very close to him.

The square named in honour of war veteran Dr Tom Renouf in Mauny, a village he helped liberate in the Second World War

His son George said: “It is important that they got to go to France to see the passion with which the French celebrated their liberation in 1944 and how it is being carried on by the younger generation in France and not just the older people, which is very impressive.”

He explained that the villagers of Mauny had decided, as part of their annual commemoration of the D-Day anniversary, to have a small ceremony to name an “espace” after his father.

George said: “Following the traditional commemoration to the fallen and, at Mauny in particular, I laid a wreath at the Highland Division memorial in the village.

“The monument there has the names of the soldiers who died liberating the village.”

Dr Renouf was one of those liberators and, following his return to the village on the 50th anniversary, he went on to form a long and deep friendship with some of those he helped liberate and the younger members of the village, who remain “ever thankful” for what the Highland Division did.

The Highland Division monument at Mauny

George said: “There was a château in the village where the Germans had imprisoned women and children, and were planning to execute them, when dad’s Platoon ‘A’ Company arrived. He lost a number of his closest colleagues there, including the platoon commander.”

The mayor, Charly Noël, gave a speech and pipers were present at the ceremony, before a plaque naming the square was unveiled.

George added: “It was all very moving. I gave a short speech and tried to say what I thought Tom would have said.

“It never fails to amaze me how much it still means to the people of Normandy, even the young.

“It was very emotional and quite a few tears were shed at the thought of what the young men like Tom had to go through on that spot 80 years ago.”