FORMER RAF navigator John Nichol stared death in the face, when he was captured by the Iraqis during the Gulf War.

After their Tornado was shot down, John and his pilot, John Peters, were tortured and forced to make confessions at gunpoint while they were paraded on Iraqi TV. Those pictures are among the abiding images of the Gulf War.

Now a successful author and speaker, John Nichol will be in Kent on Saturday, October 19, to launch the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal in the county.

The Legion is offering people the chance to hear Mr Nichol relive his experiences during a special lunch at the Ramada Hotel, Hollingbourne, near Maidstone.

You can send your name, address and telephone number, together with the number of tickets required, to: Mr R Lamb, County appeals Co-ordinator, Kent County HQ, The Royal British Legion Village, Aylesford, Kent ME20 7NY. Tickets cost £35 each and cheques should be made payable to Kent County RBL Poppy Appeal. Please state whether a vegetarian option is required.

During 15 years in the RAF Mr Nichol saw service in the Falklands, the Gulf and Bosnia. Recalling his capture, he says: "I was a very small, very scared, insignificant human being at the feet of one of the most corrupt, evil and cruel regimes in the world.

"As they beat us to the ground with fists, boots and rifle butts, AK47s were cocked and I realised I was going to die."

The next seven weeks as a POW were punctuated by isolation, fear, boredom and beatings.

Today, he describes himself as an "ordinary guy who has just happened to find himself in extraordinary circumstances". He champions ex-Service causes, is president of the Gulf veterans' branch of the Royal British Legion and is patron of the British Ex-service Wheelchair Sports Association.