Duchess meets war raid veterans

A ceremony was held to rededicate a memorial to the wartime raid

The Duchess of Cornwall has met three war veterans who were in a prisoner of war camp with her father.

The men took part in the raid on the French port of St Nazaire during World War II.

The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall were in Falmouth to rededicate a memorial to the raid as part of their official tour of the county.

The crew of HMS Cambeltown sailed from Falmouth and destroyed the dry dock gates at St Nazaire in 1942.

Operation Chariot

Five Victoria crosses were awarded for the attack, codenamed Operation Chariot, the most ever for a single raid.

It successfully closed down the only dry dock outside Germany not in allied hands.

One of the veterans the royal pair met was Dr Bill Watson MBE, who was a prisoner of war alongside the Duchesses' father, Major Bruce Shand.

He said: "I told her I had a superficial acquaintance with her father and my impression was that he was nice.

"She looked pleased. She said 'oh well, that's nice'."