National News & Announcements

The last surviving Battle of Britain ace pilot from World War Two has died aged 101. Wing Cdr Paul Farnes was among the 3,000 airmen - The Few - who defended England's skies in 1940. He died at his home in Hampshire on Tuesday morning, the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust said. Paying tribute, it described him as "distinguished man - who was generous with his time in support of the trust". The trust added Wing Cdr Farnes was the last member of The Few fit enough to be able to attend the aerial conflict's memorial day in 2019.

A new railcard for British military veterans is to be launched on Armistice Day. Due to be made available from 11 November, it will extend cheaper train travel to more than 830,000 veterans who do not qualify for existing discounts. The railcard will cost £21 for an introductory period, before the price is increased to £30. Holders will be able to save a third off most train tickets, although certain restrictions will apply.

Too many military personnel live in poor quality housing - despite the Ministry of Defence spending £135m on refurbishments, a watchdog has said. A Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report warned that without improvements the military risked undermining morale and losing highly skilled individuals. It said satisfaction "only rose slightly", despite the MoD refurbishing around 3,800 homes.

Some veterans will automatically be given one of the new cards, with all former personnel being able to apply for one by the end of 2019. Forces veterans can now apply for ID cards recognising that they have served in the military. From today (Monday), any personnel who have left the military since December 2018 will automatically be given one of the new ID cards, which will allow them to maintain a tangible link to their career in the forces.

“This is about the four men who died. They did not come back – they are still there.” The devastating moment mortar fire hit a line of troops – killing three soldiers on the battlefields of Normandy - is described in a veteran’s haunting memoir of D-Day in an account that paints a vivid picture of the reality of the historic assault. British Army veteran William Glen, who was then aged just 24, told how he was wounded when mortars hit, blasting him off the ground, while an 18-year-old comrade was ‘blown across a road’ and killed, as lines of British soldiers marched single file through the French countryside.