A HOTELIER has revealed how Sir Winston Churchill paid a top secret wartime visit to his York premises during the run-up to D-Day in 1944.

As Britain today marks the 50th anniversary of Churchill's state funeral, Dennis Dewsnap, proprietor of The Churchill Hotel in Bootham, said the building was the Command Pay Office for Northern Command during the war.

"During late April 1944 General Dwight Eisenhower, Commander in Chief of the Allied Forces in Europe, and later to become the 34th President of the United States, began a tour of the American-based soldiers stationed throughout the North of England, particularly in Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire," he said.

"During one occasion, he was joined by Winston Churchill for one day who, after visiting Linton-on-Ouse airfield station, was entertained by Brigadier Alan Bradwell, Commanding Officer of Command Pay Office.

"Unfortunately, there is no record of what went on during this visit, being classified as top secret prior to the Allied Forces preparing for the invasion of Europe.

"However we do know that Churchill spent a full evening on these premises dining with the military, and in complete secrecy. It isn't known if Eisenhower came here as well."

Mr Dewsnap, who has created a special sign outside the hotel to honour Churchill on the 50th anniversary of his death, said he only found out about Winston's visit to the building when the Brigadier's grandson came to stay in 2013 and told him all about it.

"He said his grandfather had only recently told him about it," he said.

"He thought the hotel was called the Churchill because of his visit, but in fact I gave it that name when I opened it 27 years ago because of another Churchill connection.

"My great uncle, Henry Dewsnap, rescued Churchill during the Boer War in 1899 when he was being sought by the Boer authorities by hiding him in a coal mine."

* Did you or a relative work at the Command Pay Office during the war and witness Churchill's visit? Email mike.laycock@thepress.co.uk or call 01904 567132.