Landlord offers a free drink for the forces
A veteran turned landlord is offering an Armistice Day free drink to former comrades.
Paul Saynor, who served in the navy for 32 years, is offering a drink at the Rose in June pub in Milton, Portsmouth.
The 56-year-old decided to do it after watching frequent reports of soldiers being killed in Afghanistan.
Mr Saynor said: 'I want to welcome past and present servicemen and women to come for a drink on the house.
'We are hoping people will arrive about 10.30am, so we can have a drink and toast the silence at 11am.
'I haven't done this before, but it has been impossible not to think about loss with all the deaths in Afghanistan.
'The Poppy Appeal is right at the forefront of people's minds at the moment and I wanted to do something a little different.'
Guests will be invited for a free drink tomorrow as long as they wear their medals or bring some service identification.
'They can be from any service – this isn't just for the navy,' said Mr Saynor, who has medals for his work in Northern Ireland and in Bosnia in 1991.'
Elsewhere in Portsmouth veterans and civic leaders will gather at the Cenotaph in Guildhall Square.
On Sunday hundreds packed the square to pay their respects, including an artist whose grandfather lost his arm during the First World War. Roger Holman, from Havant, took along a sculpture he made, which shows a First World War Tommy staring at the grave of a German soldier.
Tomorrow a heavy gun will be fired from the top of Portsdown Hill to mark the beginning and end of the silence.
Throughout the morning shops across The News area will fall silent, while Portsmouth radio station 93.7 Express FM will broadcast a Remembrance Day Special.
Portsmouth-based warship HMS St Albans will take centre stage at tomorrow's Remembrance event in London. The Type 23 frigate will berth alongside HMS Belfast on the Thames and will be in the path of a poppy drop by an RAF Hercules.
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Weather for Portsmouth
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: East
