Chance lift

I was posted to RAF Leconfield in 1971, and was allocated a quarter at RAF Driffield. The Driffield quarters were awful, which prompted us to buy a house on the outskirts of Driffield (knowing that I would be at Leconfield for a few years). A few months later, I was posted to Akrotiri. In 1973, I was on my way home from work one day, when 2 men were thumbing a lift just outside the camp gates. I stopped, and offered them a lift to Limassol. They were pleased to get a lift to the west outskirts on the by-pass, as one of them had served in the RAF at Akrotiri over 10 years earlier and had lived somewhere in that area. It transpired they were MOD employees (with some specialist experience) and were in Cyprus for about 10 days, and this could be their only chance to get to Limassol. As I neared Limassol, I said "Just tell me when you want me to stop". On the by-pass, I said "this is where I turn off". The ex-RAF chap said " just drop us off round the corner. This area looks familiar". I said "I'm turning right at the end of this road". He said " Drop us off there, then". I turned right, and he said "I know this street. Stop in 50 yards". I said " I'm going to stop in 70 yards anyway". He said " That will do". I stopped outside my house, and he got out and said " that's my old house, opposite yours!" I invited them in for a drink, and in chatting to them, my wife discovered that the ex-RAF chap lived a few doors away from our house in Driffield! I think there's a touch of "co-incidence" in that true story. A few facts for your statistical analysis:- RAF personnel at Leconfield in 1971 was about 500; Akrotiri RAF manpower 1971-1974 was 2,000, and most lived on camp; Driffield pop'n was 7,000; number in RAF was 100,000; very few RAF had their own houses. (I have not seen, or heard from either men since).