OLD soldier Harold Easton celebrated his 80th birthday on Remembrance Sunday with an extra-special surprise gift from his family.

Harold, of Carrick Gardens, Holgate, York, served in the army for five years during the Second World War, most of them in Commando Units and then the Eighth Army.

But once he had left after the war finished in 1945, he never claimed the medals he was entitled to.

So his daughter Pam Try thought she would change all that for his 80th birthday.

She said she had to casually quiz her dad about what he had done in the war to work out which medals he could have earned to gather all the information required by the Ministry of Defence.

Eventually after a nine-month wait, three medals arrived in the post, just in time for November 11th, Harold's birthday.

He now holds the 1945 Italy Star, the 1939 - 45 Star and the War Medal 1939 - 45.

He said he was very grateful to his family and Pam, but said he still didn't really see what all the fuss was about.

"I was 18 in November 1939 and I joined up the following year to the Household Cavalry in London. From there some of us were transferred into Commando Units and we went into Sicily, Italy and Yugoslavia. We went on to the beaches in Sicily, we went to Yugoslavia to help the Partisans. When the war was over in Europe we came back to England and we were just getting ready to go to Japan when they dropped the atom bombs and then I 'retired' from the army.

"I didn't think much about it really. I was between the ages of 18 and 24 and you just got on with it. I suppose I'm not very patriotic."

After returning to civilian life, Harold got married to Kathleen in 1949, and worked for Rowntree's for 49 years before retiring. He now has four granddaughters who joined him and other relatives for a birthday meal at Lady Anne Middleton's Hotel.

Updated: 08:21 Monday, November 12, 2001