Soldier travels 4,000 miles to meet newborn son

A solider of the 1st Battalion Royal Welsh has finally met his newborn son after completing a 4,000-mile trek which was delayed by the volcanic ash cloud.

Chris Whittaker of Kimmel Bay saw his son Alfie, who was born 20 days prematurely, four days after his birth following a five-day trek that involved flights from Camp Bastian in Afghanistan to Kandahar and then on to Cyprus, before arriving in the UK.

He has now finished his tour of Afghanistan and now has a month off before starting a two-year instructional job in Catterick, the Daily Post reported.

Describing the moment he met his first-born child, 28-year-old Chris admitted that both he and his wife were very emotional.

He said: "I walked into the hospital. Clare was in a side room. As I was cuddling her, I looked over her shoulder and saw Alfie in a cot. I was really happy. You don’t know how pleased I was."

Today (April 26th), A Company of the 4th Battalion also returned to the UK after the start of a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan was held up by the volcanic ash cloud.

Posted by Mark Wilkins