A GUNMARKER who specialises in restoring antique guns will be travelling to France with a host of weapons as part of The Passchendaele Salute.

John Slough of London owns an antique gun business in Peterchurch trading and restoring guns.

As part of his business John deals in the restoration of artillery for museums and is currently restoring 13 Great War guns.

The guns which have each taken three months to restore will be taken to Fort De Seclin, near Lille in France, in November where they will join three other Great War guns and between 100 rounds will be fired to mark the Passchendaele centenary.

"The guns going to Passchendaele are all 100 years old although we don't know which battles they took part in as there are no records," said John.

"They are all of the age where they could have been used."

The 16 Great War guns taking part in the commemorations commemorations will be drawn by horses and consist of: nine x 18 pounders; three x 13pdrs; one 4.5 Howitzer, two French 75s and a 13pdr A/A gun on a Pierce Arrow 1917 lorry.

The commemoration will have an added meaning for John as his grandfather lost his life at battle in Passchendaele.

John left school at 14 to work as an auctioneer's porter at Benjamin Norman and Son, one of only two auction rooms in the City of London at that time.

After trading in antique guns with his father in 1975 John set up my own antique gunshop in Church Street, Hereford,trading as John Slough of London, before moving to his Peterchurch premises.

John is expecting a busy 12 months as commemorations take place to mark the the end of World War One.