In a television programme in 2003, Patch recalled how he spared a German soldier his life, recalling the Christian commandment, 'thou shalt not kill'.

Patch first shot him in the shoulder, which made the German drop his rifle. But he carried on running towards Patch's Lewis Gun, so he then shot him above the knee, and in the ankle.

Patch said: 'I had about five seconds to make the decision. I brought him down, but I didn't kill him.'

He was famously reluctant to talk about himself, once saying: 'Any one of them could have been me. Millions of men came to fight in this war and I find it incredible that I am the only one left.'

The Ministry of Defence said the involvement of soldiers from France, Belgium and Germany symbolised Patch's desire for reconciliation and his view that 'irrespective of the uniforms we wore, we were all victims'.