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I built up a friendship which was to last until the war was over with one evacuee named Charlie Gowan. By some marvellous coincidence, I was to meet up again with Charlie, many years later, on the other side of the world.

This happened when as a National Serviceman in the R.A.F. in the early 1950’s, I was drafted to R.A.F. Seletar in Singapore. I was billeted in the annexe of what was reputed to be the longest billet in the British Forces for some six months with Charlie, before we realised our meeting in earlier life, due to a chance remark. We were talking about Field Marshall Slim when Charlie said that during the war he had been evacuated to relatives in Staffordshire and had been a patient of Lady Doctor Slim, who was the sister of the Filed Marshall. She was also my doctor. Friendship renewed.

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Sarah Evans of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Alan Newey and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

See more of Alan’s stories:

• 1) Mickey Mouse gas masks
• 2) Then a most momentous event occurred…
• 3) Back home at last

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