THE partner of an SAS soldier who was killed during a rescue mission in Sierra Leone is to take legal action after being refused a war widow's pension.

Anna Homsi, 30, was the childhood sweetheart of Brad Tinnion when they were both growing up in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

They had been living together for eight years, sharing a house in Hereford, and she was pregnant with his child when he was killed, a year ago.

He was shot in the stomach during an operation to rescue other UK soldiers being held hostage by rebels, and died shortly afterwards.

Ms Homsi received a one-off £20,000 death in service payment and her daughter, Georgia, will receive a £2,000-a-year grant from the War Pensions Agency until she is 17.

But, under rules that were drawn up in the 1950s, Ms Homsi has been denied a pension, which would amount to £18,000-a-year, because she and her partner were not married.

She is struggling to bring up Georgia on £53 a week.

"I was so proud of Brad and what he did, and I understood that one day I might lose him," said Ms Homsi.

"All I want to do is be able to bring up our child well. At the moment, I just can't afford that."

The SAS is said to be supporting Ms Homsi's case, which is also being backed by Paul Keetch, the Liberal-democrat MP for Hereford, where the SAS is based.