Battlefield tour 'will go ahead'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/6133840.stm

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Veterans cheated out of a visit to Normandy by a fellow Gloucester British Legion official have been offered a free trip by a Bristol travel firm.

Edward Portlock, 72, of Dickens Close, Gloucester, stole money collected from members and was ordered by a judge to pay back the cash within six months.

But the boss of the operator, E4 Events Ltd, offered the tour to the affected members after reading of their plight.

Portlock was jeered by Legion members after he left court on Wednesday.

County Field Officer for The Royal British Legion, Tim Merritt, told the BBC: "We are delighted and overwhelmed with the generosity.

"As far as the travel offer goes, we have been talking to them, trying to sort out how best we do this."

Portlock will reappear at Gloucester Crown Court on 8 May next year.