A D-DAY hero who single-handedly thwarted two German attempts to block the British advance is to be commemorated in his home town.

A plaque to the memory of Victoria Cross hero Stanley Hollis, who captured 25 German prisoners alone, will be unveiled tomorrow.

Members of Mr Hollis's regiment, the Green Howards, will hear how he used to nip off to the cinema when reporters and military historians called to his house, rather than discuss his exploits.

Thirty years after the hero died at home, the Green Howards will take part in a ceremony in Loftus, east Cleveland, before the plaque is unveiled.

Mr Hollis's daughter, Pauline Armistead, will witness the ceremony.

"I think I'll be quite upset," she said, "especially when they play the Last Post."

Those gathered at Loftus War Memorial at 10.45am will hear of the exploits of Mr Hollis, who went on to manage The Albion pub in North Ormesby, which became The Green Howard.

Part of the first wave of soldiers to land on the Normandy beaches, Company Sergeant Major Hollis spotted two German pillboxes. Under heavy machine-gun fire he charged the first, firing his sten gun into the slit before jumping on to its roof. From there he managed to lob a grenade inside.

Moving along a communications trench to the neighbouring pillbox, he came across 25 well-armed Germans and captured them. Later, in an orchard in Crepon, he captured a 75mm field gun and its crew who were also armed with Spandaus. He charged them to cover the escape of two of his own men.

His VC was bought by the Green Howards for a then world record price of £32,000 in 1982.