Army Chums

In 1963 I was posted to Singapore with the Royal Signals, and met a fellow technician, called Brian. We became mates, and after a while ventured forth on a break to the Naafi leave centre in Penang, where the beer flowed freely, and a splendid time was had away from the rigours of military life. Eventually I was posted back to the UK and in 1965 on to Krefeld in Gemany. Imagine my surprise when a few months later Brian was posted to the same unit, and we continued our friendship for the following five years. In 1971 I left the Army and Brain, and totally lost touch with him; he had married one of the lady soldiers, and I was starting a new career in civvy street. By January 1984 I had a job as an engineering manager with a broadcaster, and was visiting Oban, Scotland to feature the remote transmitter maintenance team in a magazine about broadcast engineering. I stayed in a local hotel which in January I was the only resident at dinner, where the meal was so large that I had to take a walk afterwards to aid my digestion. Passing down the long drive that led to the nearby town was a young chap with a backpack, and we exchanged nods as he progressed up to the hotel. The next morning there were two places laid for breakfast, and the proprietor said that a backpacker had checked in the previous evening. He came down for a full "Scottish" braekfast and we got chatting, and it transpired that he was a junior doctor from Charing Cross Hospital having winter break camping , but it had become too cold and damp so he was treating himself to one night in a hotel. He turned out to be the brother-in-law of my friend Brian, his sister being the the lady soldier Brian had married.. Now we were the only residents, and were both only staying for one night in a remote hotel in the Scottish Highlands; how much of a coincidence is that?