D-Day veteran Fred Cooper, 83, served with The Green Howards throughout the Second World War. Chris Webber met him.

DOUGHTY and proud, old soldier Fred Cooper leaves no doubt about his opinions on the Government's proposals for his old regiment.

"It's a disgrace, it's upsetting and it should be stopped," said the veteran of El Alamein, of the fight through Sicily and Italy and the D-Day landings.

He said: "The Green Howards are as fine a regiment as we have. Every major war, every major battle and you'll find The Green Howards.

"I've been thinking of writing to that Hoon (Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon) myself just to tell him what the Green Howards means to this country. They tried to close down the regiment once before and we saw them off. There were tears in my eyes that time and now we've got to stop them again."

Mr Cooper, of Billingham, Teesside, is surrounded by memorabilia of the Green Howards in his front room.

There is an El Alamein poster with General Montgomery, as he then was, framed on his wall and by his chair is a copy of the original Green Howards badge.

In his bedroom he has blazers, badge ribbons and the Green Howards cap he has had since he joined as a territorial soldier before the outbreak of war in April 1939.

Mr Cooper's family have defended Britain for generations. His son served in the Royal Navy for 25 years and his grandson was a Royal Marine.

He knows and is proud of the ancient history of the regiment, which he says has its 17th Century roots in Somerset, not North Yorkshire, and even has the Green Howards magazine sent to him every three months.

Mr Cooper knew fellow Teessider Stan Hollis, the only man to receive a VC on D-Day.

Hollis was awarded the medal for a number of actions, not least taking out a German pill box on his own while at the same time rounding up German prisoners.

But of all his former comrades Mr Cooper makes special mention of Teddy Noddings, from Darlington.

D-Day veteran Fred Cooper, 83, served with The Green Howards throughout the Second World War. Chris Webber met him.

Holding a Christmas card sent by his old comrade, Mr Cooper said that Mr Noddings saved his life when he was buried alive in the North African desert in 1943.

After he recovered Mr Cooper and 90 other Green Howards were transferred to the Hampshires, who later became the Royal Hampshires. He served with the regiment until the end of the war and stayed with them until 1953.

But still he has always regarded the Howards as his true regiment.

"They're the ones I joined, they're my regiment, always will be," he says, clutching his 1939 cap.