TRIBUTES have been paid to a former Pontypool landlord who was known as an "honorary Welshman".

Dick Tremain died on June 27, aged 90, after being admitted to hospital with pneumonia.

Mr Tremain was a popular landlord in Pontypool, havingmoved to the area from London in 1975 with his family to run the White Hart pub.

After working there for two years, he went on to run the New Moon in Trevethin, which was renamed the Tremain Arms in his honour in the early 1980s.

His son Chris Tremain, 48, said the decision was made by the chairman of Whitbread Wales at the time because of his father’s work as chairman of the local branch of the Licensed Victuallers Association and his role in helping to make deals for tenants.

Mr Tremain said this was a great honour for his father who “was as proud as punch” at the decision.

He said his father loved the area and that it was a real community pub.

Mr Tremain senior ran the Tremain Arms until he was 65 but was still running pubs, carrying out relief management all over the country, until he was in his 70s.

Mr Tremain, who had three sons, six grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren, continued to live in Pontnewydd until last year, when he moved to Cambridgeshire to live with his son Chris.

Before joining the pub trade, Mr Tremain worked as a lorry driver and served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

He learnt to play the piano as a child and played in pubs, where he met his late wife Bett.

The couple then went on to run a pub in South London before latermoving to Wales.

His son Chris said: “Even though he was born in the east end of London, he had so many friends and his immediate family here.

“He used to call himself an honorary Welshman.”

He added: “He was so easy-going.

“You would be hard pushed to find someone who had a bad word to say about him.

“He would do anything for anybody.”

The funeral will be held on Wednesday at 2.30pm at the chapel at Panteg cemetery.