A FORMER peacekeeper for the United Nations has spoken of his pride after finally receiving a medal recognising his hard work.

Tony Burnell, 66, who lived on Canvey, owned the Fancy Hats shop in Pier Hill, Southend, for more than 25 years, before retiring last year and moving to America to live with his sister, Patricia.

But on a trip back to see his other sister, Gem, in Southend, he collected his UN medal, in recognition of his service to peace, which had been sent to her address.

Mr Burnell was born in Hampstead, North London, and trained in Manchester and London as a cinema and stage theatre technician after finishing school.

He said: "I did that until I was 20, then I decided it wasn't for me and I wanted to see the world. National Service had stopped, so I joined the New Regular Army in 1961.

"I did my training at Catterick and I was posted with the Royal Dragoons. My first posting was in Malaya, now Malaysia."

Mr Burnell was in Malaysia for about a year before returning to England to complete an advanced gunnery course.

He was stationed in Hampshire when he was called up to serve in the UN peacekeeping force in 1964. He said: "I had overseas experience and there were 1,500 of us called up for the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus. We were the first UN troops out there and were in charge of peacekeeping."

After five months service, Mr Burnell was injured in the right shoulder and arm, and taken to the Royal Air Force hospital in Episkopi Garrison, Cyprus. His injuries meant he left the Army in 1968 with a medical discharge.

He returned to the theatre business for two years before moving to Southend and taking up various jobs in the town and back in the City.

In the early 1980s, Fancy Hats was opened and kept him busy until he retired last year.

After his retirement, Mr Burnell contacted the Home Office to ask about a claim because of the lasting effects of his injury, and he was informed he had a medal waiting for him.

He said: "They've been remarkably efficient and remarkably kind to me since I got in touch. I didn't even know I had a medal until I contacted them. Now I've got hold of it I feel elated."