Woman, 104, who drew up D-Day maps honoured

Veterans and historians have come together to honour one of D-Day's unsung heroes involved in top secret map making.

Christian Lamb was a British naval officer who helped draw up the maps for the invasion and was one of only a handful of people who knew about the plans.

On Tuesday, the 104-year-old joined a celebration for her achievements at Syrencot House in Salisbury, where Operation Overlord was planned in 1943.

She said she was kept in an office by herself while she carried out her secretive work that was integral to the success of the invasion.

"A ship coming in from England would try to identify where things were and be able to see things like churches, stations - anything visible from the distance," she said.

"I had to try and arrange something that would help and they provided me with an office entirely to myself.

"I found it enjoyable - I suppose you can concentrate more when you're on your own."

She said at the time, it was "impossible" to know whether her work had helped the invasion or not.

Last year the French president Emmanuel Macron awarded her with the Légion d'honneur for her service - the highest French Order of Merit for Military and civil merits.

During the war she worked in the War office in Whitehall.

She made the maps which were then delivered to Syrencot House where Lieutenant- General "Boy" Browning and other generals would use them to see what the shore looked like.

Her son Martin Lamb, also attended the celebration in Salisbury and said he was "extremely proud" of his mother.

"As a family we didn't know anything about it," he said.

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