Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower to light up blue in honour of D-Day hero John Jenkins

John Jenkins died at Queen Alexandra Hospital on December 17 following a brief illness. He was well known in Portsmouth and previously worked at Fratton Park as a boardroom steward.

Hundreds of mourners lined the streets to greet his funeral procession in January. It was recently announced that Mr Jenkins’ life will be further celebrated during a memorial service at Portsmouth Cathedral, in High Street, Old Portsmouth, on Monday.

To coincide with this event, the Spinnaker Tower will also be lit in blue as a tribute to the diehard Pompey fan.

Tony Sammut, general manager of the attraction said: ‘We are lighting blue to pay tribute to one of our heroes, the late John Jenkins. John as a real pillar of the local community and truly represents the spirit of Portsmouth. Rest in peace to a true Portsmouth legend.’

The former merchant navy sailor served in the army during the Second World War and worked the ammunition at Gold Beach in Arromanches, France in 1944.

His bravery during the pivotal June 6 invasion of Normandy saw him being awarded the Legion d’Honneur, France’s highest medal for valour.

He celebrated his 100th birthday on November 16 and told The News his time at war was full of ‘terrible days and good days’.

In later life Mr Jenkins educated visitors to the D-Day Story, and was posthumously awarded a News New Year Honour for 2019.