Watch the moment two old childhood friends and ex serviceman meet after 62 years apart.
The Wheel at Worfield was the venue where two old Serviceman and childhood friends met after not seeing each other for 62 years.
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00:00Tom, I'm just doing a bit of video here. We think this is your old friend from back in the day in Bridge North and a fellow serviceman.
00:07Yeah.
00:08You haven't seen him for how long?
00:09About 62 years.
00:10How are you feeling at the minute then?
00:12Sorry?
00:13How are you feeling at the minute, sir?
00:15Rather excited.
00:16Yeah, yeah. Well you didn't know, did you? You were coming for a reunion.
00:21So it's a bit of a surprise and I don't think the gentleman coming knows either, does he?
00:27No, he doesn't know.
00:28So Kelly, this is your doing, isn't it, granddaughter? You're in trouble when you get home, girl.
00:34So we'll see if this is him. What's his name then, Tom, if it's our man?
00:39Raymond.
00:40Raymond, we'll see.
00:41Raymond and Barbara.
00:42Raymond and Barbara, we shall see.
00:45Good afternoon.
00:46Good evening.
00:48Hello.
00:50It's all right, I can see the man.
00:52That's fine.
00:53Was that a big surprise?
00:54My dear chap.
00:55A big surprise for you.
00:56Hello, my darling. You must be Margaret.
00:58It's a short story.
01:00It's a short story.
01:01I'm doing a story.
01:03Oh right, yes.
01:04It's a story, yes.
01:05Hello.
01:06How do, old son? How are you?
01:10Well, I never.
01:12Sixty-odd years.
01:15Don't push me over.
01:19My word, Tom, I recognised you straight away.
01:23I thought you'd be as bald as me.
01:28So who have we here then? So that's Margaret, yes?
01:31That's my granddaughter, Kelly.
01:33Granddaughter Kelly.
01:34Oh, Kelly, you're the one that traced me?
01:36Yes.
01:37I thought I'd hidden away from the world.
01:40My word, what a shock.
01:42Are you all right?
01:43Yes, I'm lovely.
01:44Hello, sir.
01:45Hello there.
01:46He's from the Shop Sheerstar.
01:47It's not a sniper's rifle, is it?
01:48It's not, it's not, I promise.
01:50And who's this, sir?
01:51He's from the Shop Sheerstar, sir.
01:52We're coming to do a little piece on the reunion.
01:54And I didn't know.
01:56He didn't know until five minutes ago.
01:59I didn't make a note, sir.
02:01You met him.
02:03So who's this gentleman?
02:04Josh, Kelly's husband.
02:05Oh, hi Josh.
02:06Are you OK? Hiya.
02:09Well, how long have we got the table for? Midnight?
02:14So you lads were old school mates from Bridge North?
02:18Oh, yeah.
02:19Back in the day?
02:20Yeah, back in the day.
02:21He's probably got up to some stuff that we can't relay the stories of.
02:26No, we had a lot of fun.
02:28And you ended up, you were best man at his wedding?
02:30I was.
02:31I've seen the picture as well.
02:33Have you seen the picture?
02:35Of course I have.
02:36Have you got an old phone?
02:38Yeah, yeah.
02:39So you ended up both serving, yeah?
02:42Yes.
02:43What did you do in the services then, gents?
02:45Tommy was a, you were a quarter sergeant, weren't you?
02:48No, I was a corporal, a machine gunner corporal.
02:51Yeah.
02:52In the Vickers 303.
02:54OK, and what about you, sir?
02:55I was a combat radio tech and field electrician in the signals.
02:59Yeah.
03:00Yeah.
03:01So you live in Albrighton now?
03:03Yeah.
03:04You're King's Wynford?
03:05Warheath, yeah.
03:06Warheath, yeah.
03:07See, I know it all.
03:08It's only yet another suburb of Birmingham, of course.
03:11Of course, of course.
03:12And when you came out the services, you were alongside each other in the Shropshire Reserves, is that right?
03:18Yes.
03:19Yep.
03:20Cool, and how was that then?
03:21And then we worked in the same factory for a while.
03:23Did you?
03:24How long were you at the start?
03:26Not long, because I'd already put into VT or GPL telephones, as it was then.
03:33But they weren't recruiting.
03:34A couple of years?
03:35Well, so it's got to be 60-odd years.
03:37Oh, God, aren't they?
03:38Yeah.
03:39Which factory was that then you were at?
03:40Star Aluminium.
03:41Oh, OK, yeah.
03:42Where was that then?
03:43Bridgelore.
03:44Oh, OK.
03:45Yeah, yeah.
03:46And, yeah, so 60 years since you've met up?
03:48I reckon it's about 62 or 63.
03:50No way.
03:51Swing that light.
03:54And you both recognise each other, though?
03:56Yeah, yeah.
03:57Yeah?
03:58Yeah.
03:59How about that?
04:00I thought he was dead.
04:01Forget it.
04:02I thought the same.
04:03Well, yeah.
04:04I thought the same.
04:05I said to Kelly, I don't think he's still alive.
04:07Yeah, yeah.
04:08Well, it gets to that point, doesn't it, you know?
04:09It's cold.
04:10He's been knocking at my door a few times, I'll tell you.
04:12But I said we're not in.
04:15So how does it feel now to meet up again with your old mucker from yesterday?
04:20Oh, it's lovely.
04:21Fantastic.
04:22Yeah.
04:23Fantastic.
04:24It's lovely, isn't it, mate?
04:25Yeah.
04:26You're going to be exchanging numbers and keeping in touch going forwards?
04:28Oh, yeah.
04:29Yeah.
04:30Got it now.
04:31Lovely.
04:32Besides which, I'll need somebody if I want to borrow money off you.
04:33And it's all thanks to that young lady over there.
04:37Oh, yes.
04:38Kelly, how does it feel to see him reunited, Kelly, after your hard work there doing the research?
04:43It's lovely.
04:44Yeah.
04:45It is, isn't it?
04:46It's very special, do you know?
04:47Yeah, definitely.
04:48One to remember.
04:49These people have experienced stuff that we kind of don't understand in a way, really.
04:54Other stories.
04:55Yeah.
04:56I'll sit opposite you.
04:58The chinwagging starts.
04:59Yeah, that's it.
05:00Right.
05:01Come about then, guys.
05:03So you're Kelly's husband?
05:05Yes, yes.
05:07Married into the family.
05:09Fortunately.
05:10So how did it come about then?
05:12So Raymond was kind of getting a bit nostalgic, I understand, wasn't he?
05:15No, Tom.
05:16Tom.
05:17I forgot he was on camera.
05:18Tom was dead.
05:19Gone really?
05:20Yeah.
05:21Oh, right.
05:22I don't know where he is.
05:23He said, I don't even know if he's still alive.
05:24Yeah.
05:25She said, right, I'll look into that and I'll find out.
05:27The sergeant.
05:28Yeah.
05:29So under the peril of Facebook, she went home and did the story on Facebook.
05:32Yeah, I took pictures of the photos.
05:34Yeah.
05:35Ray's nephew.
05:37And then a miserable bugger at the back on the right.
05:40Yeah.
05:41And then put us in touch with.
05:43Yeah.
05:44So I did an initial Facebook post.
05:46Well, what did you post it on then?
05:48What page was that then?
05:49Just try and get it out.
05:50It was on my profile.
05:52I also, it was an original Facebook group.
05:55Community group.
05:56Yeah, and there was another one of Telford's old memories.
06:01Yeah.
06:02So I shared it onto there.
06:03And then obviously people kept sharing my post.
06:05Yeah.
06:06And then Raymond's nephew had saw the post, messaged me saying,
06:11I think this is my uncle.
06:13I'll send you his number.
06:14Yeah.
06:15So then I sent it to you, didn't I?
06:17Yeah.
06:18I said, I don't know if it's going to be the right Raymond.
06:20Yeah.
06:21But it's a trace anyway.
06:23And then you phoned him.
06:24And they're on the phone gassing.
06:26Very well.
06:27Fantastic.
06:28It's as easy as that, isn't it?
06:31Well, in this day and age.
06:32Yeah, social media.
06:34Yeah.
06:35Your granddad didn't think I'd be able to do it, did you?
06:37No, I didn't know.
06:38Mind you, I keep well away from social media.
06:40Yeah.
06:41People get to know too much about you.
06:44Well, we soon found you.
06:45Yeah.