   I am a Canadian and paid my way to England during the second world war to join the RAF. I met Jackie Tweedle, who was from Liverpool and served in the RAF during WW2. at RAF Cranwell where we trained together as wireless operators. We were almost inseparable and had a great time there.

  After our courses were completed we were posted off in different directions. He went on the Murmansk run and I went out to Burma. It was not long before our letters began to be few and far between, due to our postings and the war situation. Eventually we lost contact altogether. This would have been around 1943.

   After the war as part of my job in Victoria, B.C. Canada, as Public Relations for Canada Post, I became a member of Toastmasters International. At one time I was required to give a very special talk on the special colleges set up by Prince Charles, which were World Colleges. One of them was named Pearson College of the Pacific and an English gentleman here in Victoria was helping to promote it. I purposely went to hear one of his lectures to gain material for my own speech presentation.

   I was impressed with the chap who gave the talk and we became friends. The years passed. One day out of the blue I received a phone call from the above-mentioned friend who said he had some special news for me.

   It turned out that my friend had been an orphan and raised by the Seaman's Institute or some similar charitable organisation, and that on one of his trips to Liverpool, wanted to find the actual orphanage in which he was raised.

   He called in at a shipping office of some sort and here too, I may not have the name exactly correct, but it was something like, Grassie and Beazley. He went into this office because as far as his memory would allow, it appeared to be roughly on the site or in the area of the site where the orphanage was located.

   He spoke to the receptionist, telling her of the reasons for his enquiry. She wasn't able to help him directly but she ushered him into another office where she said she was sure the gentleman in there would certainly know, as he too had been an orphan in the same building.

   In he went and had his questions answered, but before he left the gentleman in the office asked him a question,

He said, "You are from Canada. What part would that be?

My friend replied,

"Victoria, B.C."

"VICTORIA!" exploded the gentleman. "You wouldn't happen to know a Ken Stofer, would you?"

"I most certainly do," my friend answered, "He is Public Relations Officer for Canada Post."

"Well, I'll be darned. When you get home, give him a call and ask him if he remembers Jackie Tweedle.

That was about 1970. Twenty seven years had elapsed but I had regained contact with my good friend Jackie! On a trip to England in 1972, my wife and I were met at a Liverpool train station by Jackie and Sheila Tweedle. What a wonderful reunion that was!

   We had three more trips and visits with Jackie Tweedle after that until his untimely death. We are still in touch with his wife Sheila and she has visited us here in Canada; something that Jackie was never able to do.

   Life is strange, because after the war I almost took a job in the USA and would never have gone into Public Relations.

   We never know where the road of life will take us nor what circumstance will decide whether we turn left or right at the next intersection.