Now, at the start of missing persons awareness month, 73-year-old Bob Morton, from Leamington, is urging others thinking of tracing relatives not to put it off.

Bob, of Cubbington Road, had not seen his brother Neil since 1979 but in 2004 he needed heart surgery and decided to track his brother down.

After months of frustration, a friend suggested the Salvation Army's family tracing service.

But although the service took only six weeks to find his brother, Neil died of a heart attack days before the breakthrough.

Mr Morton said: "I am glad I did the search, I only wish that I had done it earlier.

"I didn't know the Salvation Army could help me. If I did it wouldn't have taken so long and I probably would have got to see Neil before he died."

The Morton brothers had begun drifting apart when Bob joined the Armed Forces in the early 1950s.

"We were like chalk and cheese," said Bob.

"Neil was a scholar, he always had his nose in a book, while I was more hands-on and loved motorbikes."

Bob went on to carve out a successful career in industry at Massey Ferguson in Coventry, while Neil became a haematologist and travelled the world; living in West Africa, then Saudi Arabia before returning to the UK.

Although Bob has lost a brother, he has gained a whole new family in Neil's widow Jean and their daughters, Fiona and Sally.

The retired estates manager joined his brother's family at his memorial service last December, and has vowed to stay in touch.

He said: "It's great having found them and seeing how much the girls remind me of Neil. Sally, for example, is so much like her dad in that she doesn't eat vegetables either."

Sally, who now lives in London, said: "It's fantastic having a new uncle in Bob.
"It's so nice to hear things about my father that I never knew before. I love the fact that he refers to Dad as 'our kid'. Bob doesn't much look like Dad, but he has the same great sense of humour."

Bob, whose 2005 heart surgery was a success, said: "I encourage anyone who is thinking about searching for a relative to contact them immediately. Don't put it off."

* The Salvation Army's family tracing service can be contacted on 0845 634 4747 or by visiting www.salvationarmy.org.uk/familytracing

* Charges are heavily subsidised and cost £45, or £25 for pensioners or those on benefits.

* The service was founded in 1885 and is among the world's oldest tracing agencies.

* In 2007, the Family Tracing Service completed almost 3,000 searches with a success rate of 87 per cent - an average of ten people reunited with relatives every working day.