Blind veteran Ron, 103, will lead comrades for Whitehall service
A BLIND 103-year-old former prisoner-of-war will be the oldest veteran to march at the Cenotaph as the nation marks the centenary of Armistice.
Former army sergeant Ron Freer will lead 100 comrades who also lost their sight when he attends the Whitehall service in London on Sunday.
He will be representing the charity Blind Veterans UK.
Mr Freer said it was a “huge honour” and the Remembrance commemorations hold a “special significance” for him as his father died in battle just weeks before the end of the First World War.
The former postmaster, who lives with his daughter in Kent, was captured in the Second World War while serving with the Royal Artillery.
Born in Teignmouth, Devon, in 1915, Mr Freer joined up in 1931, initially with the Royal Horse Artillery.
On the outbreak of war he was posted to defend Hong Kong. In 1941 he became a prisoner-of-war under the Japanese and endured malnutrition and diphtheria, losing his sight and hearing.
Blind Veterans UK has supported Mr Freer since 1946. He said: “It is an extraordinary charity which makes an unbelievable difference to the lives of veterans like me and our families too.”
After marrying, he and his wife Joan opened a post office, buying the property with the help of the organisation.