A man from Leverington was made to wait for over six years for a reply from the Government after penning a letter to them to enquire about his father.

Tony Kiddle, of Leverington, Wisbech, wrote to the Ministry of Defence in September 2009, asking for more information on his father who had served as a stretcher bearer in the battle of the Somme in 1918.

Mr Kiddle’s father was held back with volunteers in 1916, before beginning a stint as a stretcher bearer two years later.

Tony said: “When I was younger, my father would never speak about what he saw during the war. I can’t imagine the carnage that he must have witnessed.”

His father’s decision to remain tight-lipped over his time in the army prompted Mr Kiddle to write to the government.

The 83-year-old posted a letter in September 2009, and was forced to wait for over six years to receive a reply – which ironically began with “thank you for your recent enquiry.”

Tony said: “I thought my best port of call would be to write a letter to the government asking them if they had any information on his time in the army, but they proved to be as much use as a chocolate fireguard!”

“I received a reply last week, but they said they only could supply information on those who served from 1921 or later.”