Stephen PullingerA war veteran has been reunited with his first-born son after 70 years - thanks to his Norwich granddaughter tracking him down on the social networking site Facebook.Stephen Pullinger

A war veteran has been reunited with his first-born son after 70 years - thanks to his Norwich granddaughter tracking him down on the social networking site Facebook.

Now frail and living with his second wife Margaret in a care home, George Mumby, 98, had last seen 71-year-old Terry as a baby before he went off to fight in the second world war in Italy and North Africa with the Sherwood Foresters Regiment.

Following the failure of his first marriage his parents-in-law became the child's legal guardians on Guernsey.

George, who lived in Ludham, near Great Yarmouth, went on to have three more children but never got back in touch with Terry.

It was only a New Year's Eve impulse of his granddaughter Sophie, 23, that finally brought about a surprise reunion.

Sophie, of Cremorne Lane, said: 'I am quite involved with my grandparents and it came up in conversation that my granddad had a son with whom he had lost contact.

'I pestered my dad for the name and looked on the internet without finding anything. But it was on New Year's Eve as I was preparing to go out that I had the idea of doing a search on Facebook.

'Seven Terry Mumbys came up and although it was a long shot, I sent a message to each one. The next morning, when I had woken up with a hangover I was astonished to have received a message back saying 'it's me'.'

Sophie, a support worker for people with learning difficulties, discovered that the retired computer manager living in St Peter Port, Guernsey, had been trying to track down his father for years.

She arranged a meeting and said: 'My grandfather was delighted and described it as the best day of his life.'