I thought I’d post this on here.
Was sitting at a table in the local library last Friday afternoon reading a copy of that days Times, when an old chap came and sat down opposite me. I noticed he had a military badge sewn onto the breast pocket of his blazer, and I could see it was the emblem of the Middlesex regiment.
Veterans of the Middlesex very proudly call themselves diehards, and I know this as my old man served with the Middlesex in the 1950’s.
I mentioned to the gent that he was once a diehard, and he was both delighted and surprised that someone of my age group, (I’m 48) would know the nickname of an Army Regiment that was disbanded by the MOD (tosser’s) in the 1960’s - I told him about the old man and he asked my Dads surname, and it turned out that not only had they known each other, they were once great pals.
I asked the chap when he had last seen my Dad, and he replied sometime in 1954, so obviously I got the mobile out and they spoke ,and are meeting up next week for a drink.
I will definitely go along to this drink, and if my old man doesn’t mind will film their initial meet on my IPhone – just for the sake of posterity.
What a happy, coincidence that was, bearing in mind that I don’t go to the library very often, and the old chap doesn’t even live in the town, he lives over 30 miles away and was only in town visiting his grandson.