A war hero will not get a posthumous bravery award because the Ministry of Defence said there are no surviving First World War veterans.

Relatives of Maldon teenager Ben Cobey had campaigned for him to be awarded the Victoria Cross after he was killed in action in the Battle of Mons in France in August 1914.

Maldon historian and town councillor Stephen Nunn took up the campaign and wrote to the Queen, David Cameron, the Ministry of Defence and MP John Whittingdale.

But a reply from the parliamentary under-secretary of state at the MoD said it would be wrong for the Ministry of Defence to question the decisions made at that time of Ben's death.

And it would not investigate further because there are remaining veterans of the First World War.