His son, David Rose, said he was proud of his dad, adding: "Bearing in mind what he's been through, it's quite something, and he's still here to tell the tale. "You start telling [his] story and you get a lump in your throat. All I can say is I'm extremely proud of the man.

"Thank you to the council, greatly appreciated, and he deserves it. He also praised the work of the British Legion for supporting veterans like his father. Paul Scott, John Sewell and Paul Jarvis from the Ilkeston and Long Eaton branches of the Legion attended the ceremony.

Harry Atkinson said veterans like Donald "need recognising". "We've had a generation of people that served in WW2," he said. "Some gave the ultimate sacrifice.

"This is in recognition of not just Donald but to them as well. They allowed us the freedoms that we have today. "If anything, it's a shame that it's taken us this long.

110 is a bit too long I think!"