A GULF War soldier is flying home to a special welcome today -- from the newborn son he has yet to meet.

Carl Coucill, who is serving with the Royal Logistics Corps on the Iraq/Kuwait border, has been granted emergency compassionate leave after becoming a dad for the first time.

His wife, Kim, gave birth to a 7lb 7oz boy -- named Flynn -- at the weekend.

Carl and Kim had been eagerly anticipating the birth after Kim, a 33-year-old insurance account executive, discovered she was pregnant last year.

But their joy was cut short by the war in Iraq.

Carl, aged 32, left the Army three years ago after he was married.

He settled down to civilian life in Farnworth and started work at Chloride, Over Hulton.

But their plans to share the joy of the birth were thrown into turmoil when Carl received his call-up papers in February.

Within a week he was on his way to Germany and eventually Kuwait.

Kim said: "When he was called up I was under the impression he was having two weeks' training and would be back at the weekend, but the next thing I knew he was on his way to Germany.

"It was awful because my hormones were all up in the air anyway and was very upset about leaving him leaving me at such a time."

She clung to the hope that the war would be over quickly and the baby might be late so Carl could make it home in time to welcome his son into the world.

But it was not to be. The couple already knew they were expecting a boy and when Carl telephoned home at the weekend he was told that the arrival of his son was imminent.

Carl, a lance corporal who had previously spent 12 years in the army including serving in the last Gulf War, and a reservist, was then forced to wait for news in Kuwait, where he was helping to organise supply chains.

With no husband by her side Kim turned to her mother, Christine Thompson for support during her eight hours in labour. Flynn, who has red hair -- the same colour as his parents -- arrived in the world at 6.53am on Sunday.

Kim said: "It was fantastic." Kim and Carl had chosen the name, which means child of the red-headed one, before he went away and also named him Graham James, after his grandfathers.

News of his safe arrival was broken to Carl by his mother-in-law Christine when he rang the Royal Bolton Hospital from the Gulf an hour after Flynn was born.

Kim spoke to him in a tearful conversation later in the day when he revealed that the Army had given him leave and he was on his way home.

"We just kept talking about the baby and I was crying. It was very emotional. I can hardly wait to see him again."