内容摘要：This refers to the backlog of claims by asylum seekers who are waiting to hear whether they will be granted refugee status and be allowed to remain in the UK.

This refers to the backlog of claims by asylum seekers who are waiting to hear whether they will be granted refugee status and be allowed to remain in the UK.

But crucially, Mr Williams says he was not given a say in when he left the armed forces, and rather was told he would leave the navy on 28 November 1970.Others who applied at the same time were given a discharge date in 1972.

"You're told when you're going. [Your discharge date] was not disclosed until some time later. There was nothing I could do about it," Mr Williams said.Mr Williams and his wife Wendy believe about 400 men were discharged in the same 'first wave' as him, with about 2,600 going in the 'second wave' in 1972, receiving a substantially improved pension.Mrs Williams said: "What did this 400 do that was so wrong they had to be discriminated against financially?"

She added that the extra money would have made a "vast difference" to their lives.The couple launched a series of appeals to various official bodies once they realised what had happened.

In May 1984, Mr Williams was told by the MOD that both his and his brother-in-law's pension "are correct" and the disparity was due to "a pay rise for CPO's [Chief Petty Officers] in the intervening two years which is reflected in the basic pension awarded".

He continued to fight his case throughout the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.He has written several books about the Welsh bard and holds an important collection of his letters, photos and memorabilia.

The outburst in Strand Films was unusual, he argued."He got into trouble when he was drunk, but he was a pacifist in his own way."

Towns said Thomas, who was only 5ft 6in (1.68m), always said he was above average height "for Wales"."He knew he was small, but if a big soldier came in and started being jingoistic he would challenge them and get thrown out on his backside," he said.