AIRLINE officials blocked a war veteran's last chance to meet old comrades in an emotional reunion.

Former Royal Welch Fusilier Gilbert Baker, 88, battled his way 1,400 miles from Normandy to Hamburg in the Second World War.

But he could not make it out of Newcastle Airport for a reunion in Cardiff because he did not have a passport, despite producing a wallet full of identification.

The widower, who received a Certificate of Devotion for his work as an intelligence officer, was on his way to the screening of the BBC documentary Weston's Warriors.

He spent weeks filming the hour-long film last year, re-tracing his journey across Europe.

Despite carrying a Co-op card, a Royal British Legion ID, union card, Visa and bank cards, Labour Party card and photographs of himself in uniform, he was still barred.

Mr Baker, from Seaton Sluice, Northumberland, said: "I did not realise you needed your passport for a domestic flight. I am still a magistrate and was a local councillor for 55 years, so it would not have taken much checking to see who I am.

"But they insisted on me producing my passport. I went back to my home in a taxi but got stuck in traffic.

"By the time I got back, it was too late. I missed it by five minutes and the next one was too late."

An Air Wales spokeswoman said: "We cannot compromise security under any circumstances. We are compulsorily obliged to confirm the identity of passengers.

"Unfortunately, Mr Barker did not have the forms of ID which we specify under our terms and conditions."