A RADCLIFFE man has finally found peace of mind after an emotional quest lasting nearly 60 years was solved with the help of the Internet.

Mr Tom Veasey, of Winchester Drive, has at last been able to locate and visit the Indian grave of his father who perished in the Second World War. And now he is offering his help to others.

The story began last May when Mr Veasey's daughter encouraged him to log on to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website and see if he could obtain any information about his late father.

"I was only three when he died so I had no memories of him at all, just a lot of curiosity. I didn't know the circumstances of his death or where or even if he had a grave. I just knew he had died in India," said Mr Veasey who is now 61.

"After his death my mum, Amy, remarried so my stepfather James Massey took over as my dad. He did a wonderful job, but I always knew I had a real dad and I had a photograph of him."

The website not only revealed that Able Seaman John Veasey, who served on board HMS President III, was killed aged just 29 on Christmas Day 1943, it also showed that he was buried in Kirkee War Cemetery, India.

When Mr Veasey and his wife, Elizabeth (60), went on holiday to Goa in India last Christmas they decided to take the printout of information with them. "We didn't plan to go to India to search for the grave, but we thought we would take the information just in case," explained Mr Veasey.

"When we got there we showed it the rep. We didn't have a clue where the cemetery was in relation to Goa. And two days later she produced full details of how to get to Kirkee."

The couple flew to Poona, which is inland from Bombay, and then journeyed onwards to the cemetery at Kirkee.

"At the cemetery we met a guide who explained how to find the grave. I was in floods of tears when we reached it which surprised me, I didn't think I would get so emotional after all these years," said Mr Veasey, who was delighted by how well the grave had been looked after.

"I said a prayer and then had a bit of time on my own at the graveside. I felt very calm, as if I'd achieved something, and I experienced a sense that I had closed a chapter.

"It's one thing to grow up only having a photograph of your dad, but another thing actually visiting his grave."

While visiting the cemetery Mr and Mrs Veasey studied a book listing all those buried there and found some graves of local interest.

"We discovered the graves of two Lancashire Fusiliers; N. White 3659677 who died on March 18, 1944, aged 30 and J. Crawford 3130887 who died on November 23, 1943, aged 23."

They took photographs of the graves and they would be more than happy to give them to the descendants of the two men, or give advice to anyone that wants to track down relatives killed in India during the war.

"Finding my father's grave meant such a lot to me and I'd like to help anyone else who wants to do the same thing."

If you would like to contact Mr Veasey you can reach him on 723 5479.