Meal of Consolation for Distant News

A soldier who was at war and upon returning was informed that two months ago his brother passed away, does he need to hold a meal of consolation?

He does not need to hold a meal of consolation and can eat his own food at the next meal.

It is stated in Moed Katan, page 20: Rav, the brother of Rabbi Chiya, who was the son of his sister. When he came there, he asked: "Is my father alive?" He was told: "Is your mother alive?" He asked: "Is my mother alive?" He was told: "Is your father alive?" (and Rabbi Chiya understood that both his parents had passed away). He said to his servant: "Remove my shoes and follow me to the bathhouse." From this, we learn three things: we learn that a mourner is forbidden to wear sandals, we learn that distant news is observed only for one day, and we learn that part of the day is considered as the whole day. And it is written in Tosafot in Moed Katan, page 24, column 2: "We do not find that Rabbi Chiya was given a meal of consolation, but it is stated above (page 20): "Follow me to the bathhouse." And so it is ruled in Shulchan Aruch, Siman 402, paragraph 3: "A meal of consolation is not held for distant news."