Scores applied for the position and after a series of interviews, two men were found to be up to the job of having a pint with Jack Hammond, a genial elderly gentleman in need of a regular drinking partner.

A retired doctor and a former military man have stepped into the breach and will now accompany Mr Hammond, 88, to the Compass Inn several nights a week, to discuss current affairs and military history.

It never appeared that there would be any difficulty filling the vacancy, after Mr Hammond’s son Mike advertised in a local post office in Hampshire for a man to take his father to the pub. He offered £7 an hour, plus expenses.

Mr Hammond, a gregarious gentleman, had never before lacked for a companion, but he had lately moved into a care home where there was only one other male resident.

He felt awkward asking one of the ladies to accompany him for a drink, and he soon found he had nothing in common with the other male inhabitant. His son Mike, a chef, would take him out twice a week, but he decided to advertise for another man of a similar age and dispostion to his father, who might be willing to take Mr Hammond out on other evenings.

Competition was fierce: after the story of this search ran in The Times the battle almost came to resemble a television talent contest. Mike Hammond whittled down the candidates with a series of phone interviews before asking a shortlist of hopefuls to join him and his dad for a trial drink.

A retired kitchen fitter, Trevor Pugh, 78, from Southampton, was the initial frontrunner because of his age and military background. In the end he secured the post in a job-share with Henry Rosenvinge, 58, a retired doctor. The two gentlemen will now accompany Mr Hammond to the pub several nights a week to discuss current affairs and military history.

Mr Hammond, a widower, was a radar technician during the Second World War. He professed himself delighted with the outcome. He said: “I think they are very enjoyable and I’m looking forward to continuing going down the pub with both of them.”

Mr Pugh will pocket the seven pounds an hour to boost his pension but is not claiming expenses.

He said: “I saw the story in my newspaper with Jack’s photograph so I rang up and agreed to take him out twice a week. I like having topical discussions and meeting new people and I’d be happy to take him down the pub and enjoy a chat. If he wants to go out for a day or go to the cricket this summer I will take him.

“There is ten years difference in our ages but we are both ex-Army so we have that in common.” Mr Rosenvinge promised to accompany Mr Hammond to the pub without payment and hopes to drink with him for many years to come.

He said: “He has a lot of stories and we are both from Lancashire so we have a lot we can argue about. I’m looking to come once a week for a couple of hours but we will be careful - we know what our limits are with alcohol. I’m looking forward to coming down here with him for a number of months or even years.”

Mike Hammond was convinced he had found the right gentlemen for the job. “Dad’s now going to be going down the pub several times a week - three with his new friends and twice with me. He was an extremely social person before moving into the care home and I want to give him some of his old life back. I hope things turn out well,” he said.