Bill Cook knows better than most what his soldier grandson David must be going through while he waits for war to begin.

Private Cook, 24, is on the borders of Iraq with his Signals regiment, having been away from home for two months and unable, in the last few days, to communicate with his family.

Half a century ago, Mr Cook, 72, from Darlington, served on the front-line in Korea. z

"I was in the Signals as a communications man and David is doing more or less the same job now with the Signals, though far more advanced of course," he said.

"I think we all live on bravado in those situations but inside our stomachs are churning. The lads over there will be putting a brave face on, but underneath they'll be feeling the tension of it all."

Back home, there is a fair bit of tension too as Pte Cook's family and his fiancee, Leanne Bell, wait for war to be declared.

"Obviously at the moment we are all on tenterhooks. It's a tremendous worry," said Mr Cook.

"We don't know what Saddam Hussein has got or what he's going to use. That's the worrying factor for all the family."

Emails, letters and phone calls have been a vital lifeblood for them and Pte Cook. But communication between them has now stopped.

"It was marvellous just to know that he was okay," said widower Mr Cook. "But I think now it's going to be a complete blackout."

Pte Cook, a former Eastbourne School pupil, lived with Mr Cook and his late wife, May, for most of his childhood and is especially close to his granddad.

Mr Cook added of his grandson: "I'm very proud of him because it took a lot of bottle to join the Army. I spent 12 years in the Army and I know what's it like."

Miss Bell, 23, a nurse at Darlington Memorial Hospital, said she was finding it hard to be apart for so long. "I just want him home as soon as possible. I'm just scared really. I'm waiting for a phone call all the time.

18/03/2003