Hampshire veteran raises funds in plaque challenge

An 84-year-old veteran has visited 45 places in under 150 hours to raise funds for plaques to honour those who died during National Service.

Michael Homer, from Fareham, completed his “plaque-a-thon” on Monday.

Mr Homer is the chairman of the National Service Veterans Alliance and served in the Royal Army Service Corps between 1958 and 1960.

He said: “The money isn’t for me – it’s for your father, your grandfather, who possibly did National Service.”

Mr Homer wants to get plaques in county towns and towns of military importance. There are currently seven such plaques in the UK.

He plans to approach councils to erect the plaques, which will be paid for via the donations.

The tour began on 27 June, and included destinations including Guildford, Andover, Bristol, Oxford and Reading. He travelled back to his Hampshire home at the end of each day.

Roy Hunt, a fellow veteran from the Royal Army Service Corps, travelled to the sites with him on day one.

Mr Homer said: “I thoroughly enjoyed it and hopefully I can also get plaques for the towns and those I did not manage to visit.”

He added: “Over £6,000 has been raised and there is still more money to come in and I’m more than pleased with that.”

Mr Homer, who spent six months planning the journeys, served as an ambulance driver in Germany, but lost his hearing and balance due to gunfire.

He said: “2.2 million men did national service, but unfortunately over 2,000 never came back home and probably 4,000 or 5,000 have problems like myself.”

“I have to use a wheelchair wherever I go, but my National Service did me the world of good,” he explained.

“It taught me an awful lot – it taught me respect, it taught me discipline and it gave me a trade.

“The comradeship in the army is second to none and the National Service Veterans Alliance tries to look after our members in the best way we can.”