Normandy veteran Bob Conway made an emotional trip to St Paul’s Cathedral in London on Saturday to see an embroidered altar frontal which his father helped create after the First World War.

Mr Conway, 88, who lives in Trowbridge, was invited to see a display featuring the work of Walter Conway, after the altar cloth was put on display to mark the centenary of the Great War.

The altar frontal was produced in 1919 by 138 servicemen who had been injured during the war, while hospitalised, as part of their rehabilitation.

It is believed Mr Conway’s father, who was a Rifleman in the 10th Battalion the Royal Irish Rifles, designed the chalice which forms the centrepiece of the frontal, which has spent seven decades in storage.

Mr Conway, who visited the French battlefields in June for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, said: “It was an emotional experience. It was unbelievable to see it in person.

“My father was badly injured in the Great War, but he was always a very determined man and I was very proud to see the work he had done on the altar frontal.

“I spoke to the Prescenter (the Rev Michael Hampel) at St Paul’s and he said that it is believed that my father came up with the idea for the chalice in the centre of the embroidery.

“The finished work was made by servicemen from the UK, Australia, Canada and South Africa recovering in hospitals all around the country, contributing small sections which were stitched together.”

Embroidery was seen as a good way of helping to reduce the effects of shell shock following the Great War, because of its intricacy and the need for concentration and a steady hand.

The frontal went into storage after German bombs rained down on London during the Second World War, destroying the east end of the cathedral and the altar.

Mr Conway, who was joined by his wife Gwen for the trip, added: “It’s incredible to see the minute detail of the stitches in the frontal.

“It is due to stay up for the centenary period, before going to the Imperial War Museum.”