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<p>The Ministry of Defence has been made aware of 37 cases from the original list
of approximately 3,300 names submitted to the French authorities where the veteran
had died before their case could be submitted. In addition, the French Embassy has
advised us of 14 cases in which the medal has been sent out but was returned to them
specifically because the individual had died.</p><p>Under the terms of the arrangement
with the French authorities, within which the normal timetable for processing awards
has greatly reduced, the Ministry of Defence can submit 100 cases per week. Cases
are normally submitted in order of their original submission to the Department; but
we prioritise cases where we are notified of life-threatening or serious conditions.</p><p>Since
the new system began in July last year we have sent 3,150 applications to the French
Embassy and it should be remembered that this alone is more cases than would normally
be dealt with by the Legion d'Honneur in all categories for a whole year. The French
are also receiving applications from the other Allied nations that took part in D-Day,
and the overall level of applications will clearly be far higher.</p>
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