Honour for war veteran

A SUFFOLK war veteran has been honoured with an MBE for over 50 years service to the Royal British Legion.

Kenneth Wilding, 87, of Deben Avenue, Martlesham, served under the legendary Montgomery against Rommel and has since become a stalwart of the RBL.

He was awarded with an MBE in the queen's new year's honours list and recently travelled down to Buckingham Palace to collect it.

He said: "It was a lovely day. I was given the award by Prince Charles.

"He was very friendly and asked how many years I'd served in the Legion and where I served during the war."

Mr Wilding has been a dedicated member of the RBL in Suffolk for half a century and was one of the driving forces behind making the annual poppy appeal in Ipswich and the county a success.

He has lived in Martlesham since the end of the war and joined the RBL in 1953. He served as chairman of the Kesgrave branch for 50 years, was poppy appeal organiser for the east of the county for 35 years, and president of the Suffolk county legion for 14 years.

He is currently the vice-chairman of the Kesgrave branch.

Mr Wilding was born in Woodbridge and during the Second World War served in the Royal Army Medical Corps field hygiene section, seeing active service under Field Marshal Montgomery in the north African campaign against Rommel.

He travelled to London with his son David, daughter Daphne and daughter-in-law Pauline to collect the award at the end of May.

Mr Wilding said: "We were very lucky. My son drove right up to the palace, and they had a wheelchair ready and waiting for me.

"We were then taken in to the quadrangle where the ceremony was held.

"I feel extremely proud to have received the award. I have done a lot of work for the Legion over the years."

Daughter-in-law Pauline said: "We had a magnificent day. It really was something special for all of the family."