John Jenkins funeral: D-Day veteran 'epitomises everything about Portsmouth' says Pompey fan John Westwood

The D-Day veteran died at the age of 100 last month and his funeral procession made its way through Portsmouth today.

It included a stop at the D-Day Museum in Southsea before the hearse headed to Fratton Park for Mr Jenkins to make one final trip to his beloved football ground.

Well-known Portsmouth supporter John Westwood joined the gathered crowd who had come to pay their respect to Mr Jenkins.

He said: 'John Jenkins epitomises everything about the club. He is working class, he came from the streets, he defended our country. He showed loyalty and he worked hard. He spoke to the leaders of the world and came across as a very articulate man.'

Mr Westwood also paid tribute to the D-Day veteran's war efforts.

He said: 'Our generation owe so much to his generation. It's a passing of an era.'

Both men are known throughout the city for their love of Portsmouth Football Club, where they spent some time together.

Mr Westwood added: 'I had the pleasure of meeting him. I could have chatted with him for ages. He was a lovely man, he gave something for everyone in the city to look up to and aspire to be - if people in Portsmouth could be half the man he was. It was an honour to know him and he was the head of the family.'

David Morey, 89 from Portsmouth, came out to Fratton Park to see Mr Jenkins off. He has been a Portsmouth fan since 1938.

He said: ‘I met him a few times, I first met him before the 2008 FA Cup final.

‘I saw him a few weeks ago and we were talking for ages and I congratulated him for being 100. He asked how old I was and I said I was 89, and he said I was just a youngster.’

Kerrie Morrison joined in with a round of applause which greeted the funeral car arriving at Fratton Park.

When asked why she had come to pay her respects to Mr Jenkins, she said: 'I think for me, it's for my late dad because he would have been here if he could.

‘Not just because [Mr Jenkins] was a club legend, but for what he did in the war.'

Portsmouth resident Sue Griffin was also at Fratton Park for the gathering. She would often see ‘friendly’ Mr Jenkins out enjoying some lunch on a Saturday in Cascades Shopping Centre.

Sue said: ‘He’s just such an icon. He was very friendly when we saw him in the café, you never saw him on match days because he was always up here in the boardroom.’

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