THEY lost contact 25 years ago – now a Basingstoke dad and his German son have been reunited following a four-year Facebook appeal that brought them back together.

Darren Goddard, of Churn Close, Old Basing, last saw his son Lewis Helget when he was just 18-months-old.

But now, the 48-year-old has finally been reunited with his son, who had been trying to find his dad for four years.

The father-of-two moved from England to Germany in 1983 to pursue a career in the Army and soon after he met Lewis’ mum Aggi. They got married two years later.

Darren suffered injuries in a car accident, and, following a year of agony, he was taken to hospital close to his Army base in Munster, Germany, to have an operation to remove a smashed disk in his back in 1988.

It soon became clear that he would not be able to carry out the duties he had before in the Army because of his injuries, and his career came to an abrupt end.

Darren then began suffering with depression which led to the breakdown of his marriage to his wife Aggi – Lewis’ mum.

Following his marriage breakdown in 1989, Darren lost contact with Aggi and Lewis and made the tough decision to move back to England.

Now 48, Darren told The Gazette that life after he left Germany was a “real struggle” and he suffered a nervous breakdown in 2001, which he is still dealing with today.

He said: “When I left the Army and came over here, I cried myself to sleep for two years. I knew his mum was a good mother and had lots of family so I was happy in the knowledge of that.

“It took me two years to get over the fact I was never going to see him again.”

Darren went on to have a daughter, called Cally, and it was her actions which resulted in him finding his son.

The 15-year-old set her father and his mother, Patricia, up with a Facebook account four years ago.

Then miraculously a page created by Lewis appealing for help in finding his father popped up in Darren’s timeline.

Darren said: “Cally set me up with a Facebook account but I had no clue how to use it. I opened up my Facebook to shut it down and get rid of it and then Lewis was there and it said he had been looking for his dad for four years.”

Darren made contact with Lewis and the pair now speak to each other every day and via Skype a couple of times a week.

Lewis was planning to fly to England to celebrate the 70th birthday of his grandfather Ron, whom he had never met before.

But Ron died on February 22 following heart complications, and so Lewis made the trip to attend his grandfather’s funeral instead, on March 20.

Darren and his 67-year-old mother Patricia met Lewis at Stansted airport two days before, and spent a week getting to know each other before Lewis had to return home on March 25.

An emotional Darren said his life is “complete” now that he has 27-year-old Lewis back, adding: “Lewis has always been in my heart and I have never stopped thinking about him.”

Referring to the moment he met his son after 25 years, Darren said: “When we met you wouldn’t believe we have spent any time apart and we had our arms around each other and hugged. It has been so lovely and we have had the most fantastic week. He is a lovely man and is quite a bit like me.”

Lewis, who now lives in Emsdetten, Germany, said: “It was very important for me to know my dad so that is why I came here.”