WAR veteran Bill Green has received a campaign medal for his service in Egypt - 54 years later.

Bill, of Elmley Castle, wrote to the Ministry of Defence after reading in the Journal last year, how ex-servicemen could apply to the Ministry of Defence if they had not received their medals.

The 71-year-old grandfather of 12 said: "I was 18 when I went to Egypt as part of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Infantry. We worked to filter out the water in the Suez Canal, which the Egyptians had seized."

The retired bus driver felt it important to have his work recognised by the Ministry of Defence - a tour of duty which ended four years before the Suez crisis.

Bill was delighted with his medal and added: "I was really pleased when it arrived in the post. The only thing that made me quite sad was the fact that some of the men I served with are no longer alive.

"I was one of only two soldiers from Worcestershire, to my knowledge, that went out to Egypt so it means a lot to receive the award. The other lad was from Honeybourne.

"We never stayed in touch so I don't know whether he is still around but I was really thrilled when I got the medal."

The Suez Canal was opened in 1869 and was occupied by the British Army in 1882. The canal remained occupied by the British.

However, Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalised the canal in 1956.

Britain and France joined with Israel in seizing control of it but under intense international pressure, particularly the US, were forced to withdraw, causing Prime Minister Anthony Eden his premiership.