OLD soldier Ivan Rickwood has been sent a letter by the government of Gibraltar thanking him for supporting its Keep The Rock British campaign.

"To be honest I didn't think I would hear any more about it so it came as a pleasant surprise when the letter arrived," said Ivan, of Islandsmead, Eldene, Swindon.

He sent off a letter backing the campaign after the Gibraltar government launched an advertising campaign in the British press.

"I decided to give my support out of sheer patriotism," said Ivan, who is aged 75, and served with the Army in the Middle East during World War Two.

"The Rock is British and should remain so. The people are totally loyal and dedicated to the Crown and their support has always been, as you might say, as solid as the Rock of Gibral-tar."

Ivan's letter was signed by Albert Poggio the UK representative of the government of Gibraltar.

It said: "The Chief Minis-ter has asked me to thank you on behalf of the government and people of Gibral-tar for your support in the current difficult situation that we face.

"We have always sensed that we enjoy the support of the public in the UK.

"This has been confirmed by the massive response to our advertising campaign in the UK press. We received over 300,000 letters and e-mails of support."

Mr Poggio said that the people of Gibraltar were angry about the possibility of an agreement between the British Government and Spain affecting their sovereignty and political rights.

He told Ivan: "We hope we will be able to rely on your continuing support, whatever spin and disinformation is now circulated about Gibraltar to dent and diminish support for us in parliament and in public opin- ion."

Recently, members of the Swindon-based territorial Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry A Squadron carried out their annual training on the Rock.

But Ivan, former honorary secretary of the Swindon branch of the Royal Engineers Associa-tion, admits he has never set foot on it.

"At the end of the war I was on a troop ship on my way back to England for demob from Egypt when we called into the dock at Gib-raltar," he said.

"But we were only there for a day and didn't land."