A 22-year-old man is representing his grandfather in a Second World War reunion.

Matt Lawson, 22, who lives with his family in Amotherby, will travel to the town of Ajax, near Toronto in Canada, next month.

The town was named after the HMS Ajax, a Second World War battleship which Matt’s grandfather, Kenneth Ayre, 87, served on throughout the war.

Next month, relatives and friends of those who served on the battleship will meet for a reunion, as the town celebrates its 70th anniversary, and Matt will join them.

HMS Ajax was involved in one of the first major naval battles of the war – The Battle of River Plate.

After this battle, Kenneth joined the ship and fought in the Mediterranean, and in the South Pacific against the Japanese.

The ship was taken to the USA for repairs, and then to a settlement near Toronto, where a new town was being built.

The crew of the HMS Ajax formed such a strong relationship with the Canadians, the town was named ‘Ajax’, and many of the streets were named after British servicemen.

This was something that Matt only discovered this year, when his granddad told him an old war story, and he decided to search for Ajax on the internet, to see the place he was talking about.

Matt, who has just completed a degree in music at the University of Huddersfield, said: “I saw that there was an email address on the Ajax website, and I emailed a lady out in Canada to tell her about my granddad’s memories of the town.

“We must have exchanged 100 emails.

“My granddad has told me war stories ever since I was born, and it is fascinating to me that he has first hand experience of this war that we see in so many films.

“I am really proud and honoured that I’m going to represent him in Canada.

“It is a shame it has come so late, as he would have liked to have gone himself, but every time we talk about me going over there, his face lights up, so he will be able to go through me.”

At the 70th anniversary celebration, a street in a new housing development will be named Eyre Glen, in recognition of Kenneth’s efforts during the war.