Yad Vashem honoured the relatives of five British PoWs this week by naming them Righteous Amongst the Nations in a ceremony at the House of Lords.

Also receiving the awards, presented by Israeli envoy Daniel Taub, were the relatives of a Lithuanian and a Polish citizen.

Lord Janner, who hosted the event, said: “I’m proud to celebrate and remember the selfless acts of these individuals. We can not forget the heinous crimes of the Holocaust.”

The British men being honoured were part of a group of 10 servicemen who saved the life of 16-year-old Sarah Matuson after she escaped from Stutthof concentration camp.

Collecting the award on behalf of British serviceman Edwin Alan Hambling were his grandsons, Jason and Adam Laird.

Adam said: “It has been a rollercoaster ride, we had no knowledge of our granddad’s story… a private detective tracked the family down.”