Mr Vanderwolfe described landing on Gold beach on June 6 1944 as "hell on earth."
He was a member of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, bul had been transferred to the 9th Durham Light Infantry when the battalion made its assault on the beach.
"We were dropped chest deep in water and had to make our way to shore which was still some distance away. We lost our first soidier immediately when he slipped from the ramp of the landing craft and drowned due to the weight of kit we all had to carry. He just couldn't get back up.
"We began the assault at 10 am and were still fighting at 6pm before we were relieved by the Green Howards. We started with a battalion of 580 men, and we lost 228 officers and men who were either killed, wounded or missing, including our commanding officer.
"We had our ships' guns firing one way and the Germans firing at us the other way, it was hell on earth," recalled Mr Vanderwolfe.
He was trained as a signalman, but ended up as a Bren gunner during the first days of the invasion, and was later transferred to Attack HQ in the role he had been trained.
Mr Vanderwolfe was in the forefront of a number of battles as the Allies made ground into Normandy before he suffered a serious shrapnef wound when a German tank fired a shed on his position.
"I was very lucky, and could have lost a leg and spent four months in hospital before I was released. I was sent to a training camp for injured soldiers, but I never returned to fight in Europe."
After the war, Mr Vanderwolfe worked for Hepworth'S the clothing retailer, becoming manager of his home town store, before having a long career in mental health nursing at the former St Lawrence's Hospital in Bodmin.
For many years he was the President of the Bodmin Branch of the Royal British Legion
Honoured Burgess of Bodmin
Harold Vanderwolfe
Knight of the Legion of Honour
2014
