The WW2 hero soldier whose life was saved 80 years ago by drinking a pint of Guinness – supped another pint to celebrate on Christmas Day.
The Mirror revealed how 18-year-old Ken Pusey survived when he changed plans to go to a Belgian club for a pint of Guinness rather than a cinema which was blown up in a Nazi rocket attack. When Guinness bosses heard about Ken’s miraculous escape they sent him some of the black stuff to enjoy at Christmas.
And Ken, now 98, raised a glass to say “cheers” at the Royal Star & Garter charity care home in High Wycombe, Bucks, where he moved to in 2022 after his wife’s death. He said: “I do love a pint of Guinness and I’m very, very grateful. Thank you Guinness! I’m over the moon to receive these goodies from Guinness. It’s a beautiful gesture from them and a lovely Christmas present.
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Ken Pusey as a soldier in WW2
“I was just an 18-year-old lad, serving in Belgium while a war was still going on, when the lure of a Guinness saved my life. Eighty years later, and I still love to treat myself to a pint of Guinness every now and then. And each time I do, I think about how lucky I was to dodge death, and about those who weren’t so fortunate.”
Ken Pusey as a soldier in WW2
A Guinness spokesperson said: “We’d like to thank Ken for sharing his remarkable story. We’re very glad he decided to go for that pint of Guinness 80 years ago which ultimately saved his life. We wish Ken, and everyone at the Royal Star and Gartner care home, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”
Ken was set to spend the day at Cinema Rex in Antwerp, Belgium on 16 December 1944. But he opted for a new NAAFI (Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes) called The 21 Club at the last minute after hearing it was serving draught Guinness. While Ken was at The 21 Club, the Cinema Rex took a direct hit from a Nazi V2 rocket.
Over 1,000 people were inside the venue, and it killed 567, including 296 Allied service personnel from Britain, United States, Poland and Canada. It was the most deadly rocket attack of the war.