THE family of a Scots war hero claim a Government cover-up stopped him from getting the Victoria Cross.
Corporal Norman Smith, 39, of Bellshill, Lanarkshire, was among 6,000 troops aboard the Lancastria in 1940 when it was attacked by enemy planes off the Normandy coast.
As the Clyde-built liner sank, dad-of-five Norman repeatedly swam through the debris to help dozens of stricken comrades.
But after oil on the water caught light, he was badly burned and later died.
At Norman's funeral, says son George, 68, senior officers praised him. He added: "They said his selfless efforts to save others singled him out for a VC."
But Churchill ordered the sinking hushed up and the award was never made.
