A WAR hero was lauded on what was an emotional night in which his moving story was told on screen.
Eddie Straight, 94, of Saltburn helped liberate the Nazi-run Belsen concentration camp almost exactly 70 years ago and was featured this week in The Northern Echo and watched the premiere documentary showing of his war time life in Middlesbrough last night. WED.APR15
Documentary film maker Craig Hornby has spent 20 months interviewing Mr Straight and even found footage from the Imperial War Museum which showed Mr Straight when he was in charge of 100 Nigerian troops fighting the Japanese.
Mr Straight did not know that film existed and the first time he saw it was on the day of the screening at the Dorman Museum in front of well over 300 people in a packed room.
The film also covered his time when he guarded Princess Elizabeth, now the Queen, at Buckingham Palace. Mr Straight said he had to tell Princess Elizabeth off for trying to 'escape' during the blitz. Explaining to the princess the very serious trouble he would be in if anything happened to her while using his fingers to make a 'gun' and pointing it to his head the princess said: "They wouldn't, I wouldn't let them."
In the film Mr Straight said: "I really liked her, she was fun."
After the show Mr Straight said he was "overwhelmed" and thanked everyone for coming.
Mr Hornby and Mr Straight's good friend John Connolly, who has composed a song about Mr Straight, were also praised for telling the old soldier's story.
Find out more about the film online at pancrack.tv An exhibition about Mr Straight is also being shown at the Dorman Museum until June.
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