BILL Bickley was a superhero. But his front-line gallantry in major campaigns earned him an army pension of just sixpence a day.

Mind you, it all took place a long time ago (the 19th-century in fact). But reader Susan Shields draws a rather mischievous comparison between Bill's financial plight and that of thousands of today's pensioners, newly entered into retirement, who have fallen foul of a major computer blip.

Susan wrote in after spotting my piece (June 3) about how so many of the newly-qualified OAPs, after a lifetime of work, had had 'top-up' payments to their basic state pension put on hold by a centrally-based benefits agency computer crash.

And there was apparently no sign of a solution in the immediate future.

"This reminded me of an epitaph on a headstone, once at the St Helens parish church," says Susan, of Belvedere Avenue, Sutton Leach, who is keenly researching her family history.

"I was moved by the inscription and decided to take note, hopefully one day to try to find more information about the old warrior from St Helens."

Susan supplies the details as follows:

'The burial place of William and Alice Bickley; The above served his country under General Moore at Corunna in the Light Dragoons; With Wellington during the Peninsular Wars and at Waterloo; He received sixpence a day pension.

'The above Alice died August 30, 1871, aged 55; The above William died January 5, 1879, aged 89.'

And the inscription is completed by this ironic sentiment: 'The Body and Bones of this Old Warrior lies here and hopes to meet with a Better Reward in the Next World.'

Comments Susan: "It would appear that the government of William's time cared as little for their old warriors as every government since."

Hoping that any descendants of William's are aware of his gallantry, Susan signs off: "I would like to think that there are no governments in the next world and that William did, indeed, meet with a better reward."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.