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BirminghamLive readers have given their wholehearted support to the army veteran granddad denied a passport by Home Office bureaucrats.

They were responding to the remarkable case of Tadeusz Polanski who came to Britain via Africa in 1951 and went on to serve six years with the Grenadier Guards - he wore the famous red jacket and bearskin hat for the trooping of the colour.

His parents had fled Poland as Second World War refugees and settled in South Rhodesia where Taduesz was born in 1944. Like those caught up in the Windrush scandal he moved to the UK while Rhodesia was still a British colony.

After his army service he settled in Birmingham, married and raised his three children and worked. He ran Haby's pet supplies shop in Kings Heath for 33 years before retiring a few months ago.

But he has been refused a British passport and told to apply to Zimbabwe and his case has been taken up by Northfield MP Richard Burden.

Now readers have joined those calling for the Home Office to hand him citizenship and a passport.

(Image: Birmingham Mail)

On twitter, Dave Tubby said: "This is shocking. What I find so distressing about this and Windrush is that people who are citizens are essentially being told they don’t matter to the UK, and that we don’t owe them anything. The reality is the absolute opposite.

Daud Chow, writing on facebook, said: "He served our army, protected our elders. This man deserves a UK passport for sure."

Also posting on facebook were:

Stuart Harris, who said: "Some jobsworth in the Home Office needs the sack. This is outrageous. No doubt he has paid income tax all his working life? Stupidity reigns in Whitehall."

Anne Marie Gallagher said: "No one is safe under this gov unless they have millions - then it seems it does not matter where you were born or where you come from or how you got that money."

(Image: Birmingham Mail)

Stephanie Valentine added: "People that have been here for years worked or been in the armed forces should be allowed to stay. What May should be doing is stopping more an more people staying for good. There is not enough housing."

Alison Clarke said: "If he was in our British Army he fought for our country then he should stay and he has been paying tax. There are people that should not be in this country, look for them."