Black cab driver explains why he drives veterans to The Cenotaph for free

2 November 2019, 09:52 | Updated: 10 November 2019, 07:33

A black cab driver takes veterans to The Cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday, free of charge, and he told Andrew Pierce why he does it.

Andrew Pierce spoke to Mike Hughes, one of the black cab drivers who will be driving war veterans to the Cenotaph for free on Remembrance Sunday, about why he does it.

Andrew Pierce asked how they find the veterans.

Mike answered: "I went to the Victory Services Club and I went in and said, ladies and gentlemen, we're going to give you a free service and they were completely surprised.

Now, it's word of mouth and I also, every year, send a message out to the British Legion who then send our information out with the tickets."

Andrew asked whether the veterans would struggle without his help.

He said: "Yes, they would. I have a letter I received in 2005 from a gentleman whose father we had brought several years, brought him in from the depths near Bishop's Stortford.

"Yeah, one of our drivers lived nearby and brought him in.

"I phoned up and said does Ernie want to come this year and Christmas and said sorry, Ernie died way back in March.

I said 'terribly sorry' and he said don't be sorry because the fact that Ernie is dead, knew he could actually get into and out of the Remembrance Sunday service kept him alive and give him something to look forward to."

He then spoke about how most of the veterans are in their 90s and told Andrew a story about a 99 year-old he took to Normandy this year.