HORRABRIDGE resident Violet Swaine, aged 88, was absolutely delighted this week when she was presented with her late husband's world war two medals — nearly 67 years after the war ended.

Violet's husband Cyril joined the Merchant Navy in 1943, and sailed cross channel in support of the allied invasion, in the Atlantic Convoys and also to the Far East.

As British merchant seamen were not automatically issued with medals, they had to be claimed, something Cyril never did. Cyril died aged 57 in 1982 but now, thanks to the research and persistence of their son Peter, Violet now has three wartime medals — the 1939-45 Medal, the 1939-45 Star, The Atlantic Star, and The France/Germany Clasp — to recognise her late husband's service to his country.

Peter from Walkhampton told the Times: 'Many merchant seamen were killed during the war, and one of Cyril's ships, 'Empire Gold' was one of the last to be sunk by German U-boats, having been torpedoed in the Atlantic in April 1945.

'Fortunately he was not aboard at the time, as out of a crew of around 45 there were only four survivors.'

Cyril, who was originally from Scotland before he moved to Plymouth, served first as a cabin boy and then as a deckhand in the Merchant Navy from 1943-1950.

He met Plymouth girl Violet in 1947 and they married in 1949. When he left the merchant service he worked for the Blue Circle cement factory in Plymouth but died, aged just 57, in 1982.

Peter decided to find out about his dad's war record after seeing a television item about another Merchant Navy man who claimed his medals.

'My dad was a modest man and never talked about his wartime experiences, all I knew was that he was in the Merchant Navy during the war.

'I researched his records held on the National Archive website and was able to put together the very detailed evidence required by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency who finally issued the medals.'

He had to prove that his father had served in the Merchant Navy, what ships he was on and where those ships were at the time, to establish if they were involved in wartime service.

Peter only started researching in December and after presenting all the evidence to the MCA, by mid-February had the medals in his hand.

Because Violet is a surviving widow and there are not many left of her generation Peter believes the MCA were happy to speed up the process.

His advice to anyone else doing the same for their relatives is to be persistent and not 'take no' for an answer.

Peter added: 'Mum was absolutely delighted and very moved when I presented her the frame, dad's picture and medals. It was a special moment for both of us and well worthwhile the effort.'