Watch: Tears over carer Kia's wonderful surprise for 94-year-old war veteran Ken
A former Oswestry D-Day veteran has captured the heart of the nation as a video of him receiving a surprise gift from his carer received more than four million views in a day.
The footage of 94-year-old Ken Bembow receiving a pillow featuring a picture of his late wife Aida brought millions of people around the country to tears, and even got them a feature on ITV's Good Morning Britain.
Mr Bembow's 17-year-old carer, Kia Tobin, had seen him go to bed with a photograph of Aida at his residential care home in Preston, but was worried about the surrounding glass frame.
So she took it upon herself to have a pillow featuring his wife of 71 years made before surprising him with the gift and bringing him to tears.
Watch the video here:
Introducing the veteran on Good Morning Britain yesterday, Piers Morgan said: "Ken Bembow is in a care home in Preston and his wife had been in that home with him. She sadly died last year and he kept looking at a picture of his wife, so the carers decided to give him a little present."
Susanna Reid added: "Ken's carers had seen him always look lovingly at the photograph of his late wife and she had taken that picture, got a copy of it on that cushion so now he can actually cuddle it."
Describing the heart-warming moment, Mr Bembow said: "It was so wonderful. I've been sleeping with a picture of my wife for nine months since she died and Kia said to me, 'I don't like you doing that because it's glass and you're going to cut yourself'.
"I'm going to cry – it was so touching."
Rewarding
Mr Bembow's carer, Kia, added: "It was amazing. It was so rewarding because for something that doesn't cost a lot it made him so happy.
"It was amazing with everyone in the room, all the girls were crying and everyone was so emotional."
Mr Bembow, who was 17 when he joined the navy, returned to live with his aunt in Oswestry after the Second World War.
Leaving for Liverpool in search of a job, he told the nation live on TV how after meeting Aida at a dancing club, they returned to Shropshire to honeymoon in Oswestry.
Mr Bembow said: "I came out of the navy in about September 1946 and I couldn't settle in Oswestry where I lived so I re-entered the navy under the bounty scheme where you got £90 for three years.
"After a while I left and went back home to Oswestry and my aunt asked me why I couldn't settle – I said I couldn't get a proper job.
"I was a qualified technician in civvy life but there was no entertainment so I went to Liverpool.
"We went back to Oswestry for our honeymoon."
Piers finished what was meant to be a five-minute interview after 20 minutes, and said: "Thank you both for moving the country and showing us the power of love."
