Residents are being urged to line the route to pay their respects before the funeral of Henry Allingham.

There will also be a screen put up in the church grounds to enable people to watch the service.

Details of Mr Allingham’s funeral were released yesterday ahead of the service on Thursday.

The family funeral with military honours will take place at St Nicholas’ Church in Dyke Road, Brighton, at noon.

The Ministry of Defence and St Dunstan’s care home for blind ex-service personnel in Ovingdean, Brighton, which cared for Mr Allingham, have been helping to organise the funeral.

Mr Allingham died aged 113 on Saturday.

He was one of the last surviving servicemen from the First World War.

Mr Allingham was awarded the Legion d'Honneur by the French Government in 2003 and was promoted to the rank of officer earlier this year.

But he was never given the recognition he deserved from the British Government.

The Argus has now relaunched our Honour for Henry campaign, calling on the British Government to give Mr Allingham the recognition he deserved.

We have so far received support from dozens of readers and the campaign has been backed by MPs and councillors.

Representatives from the Government and the Armed Forces, in particular the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, are expected to attend Mr Allingham’s funeral.

A screen in the church grounds will allow people to watch the service and participate from outside the church. People should arrive by 11.30am to minimise any disruption to the service.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “Many local people have expressed an interest in paying their respects and have sent thoughtful and touching messages of condolence.

“As the church has limited capacity, places are to be restricted to invited guests. However, there will be opportunities for members of the public to be involved.”

Traffic could be temporarily disrupted in Brighton city centre while the service, which is expected to last an hour, takes place.

Some nearby roads will be closed before and during the event with diversions in place.

Traffic could also be slowed as the cortège travels from St Dunstan's, Ovingdean, along the A259 and West Street and people who wish to pay their respects are being asked to line the route.

The Royal Pavilion, which will host the wake, will also be closed to the public until 3.15pm on the day. Admission to the wake is strictly by invitation only.

Exact locations and timings for road closures will be confirmed next week.

Rather than flowers, the family has nominated two charities which people can donate to in memory of Mr Allingham - St Dunstan's, where donations can be made by calling 0300 1112233 or online at www.st-dunstans.org.uk, and The Dark Horse Venture, UK registered charity 328662. Call 0151 2568866 for details.

St Dunstan's will hold a book of condolence in the chapel at their Ovingdean Centre. The book will be available to the public to sign today and Monday, between 9am and 4pm.