Hello again! War veteran to meet the fellow soldier he presumed was dead
Last updated 11/19/2008 4:40:26 PM
War veteran to meet the fellow soldier he presumed was dead
They haven't seen each other for sixty seven years but two World War II veterans are to meet again - and what makes their meeting even more remarkable is that one of them presumed the other was dead.
Gerry Solomon from Holbrook, Suffolk will meet Harry Finlayson, whom he believed had been killed. Mr Finlayson who lives near Bridgwater in Somerset, was listed as missing presumed dead and believed to be buried in Libya.
Mr Solomon said he was "stunned" to hear his friend was alive after they were reunited through military publication Tank. Both Mr Finlayson and Mr Solomon will now be presented with their HM Armed Forces Veterans Badges in Colchester.
During a battle on 24 November 1941, Mr Finlayson's radio was damaged and he did not hear an order to withdraw. He carried on fighting until his tank was disabled and he was captured by Italian forces, reported "missing presumed killed in action."
Following his capture, he remained a prisoner of war for the rest of the war in Stalag 344. He was finally released by the Americans in 1945 and when he returned to civilian life, had no further contact with his pal.
Mr Solomon served in north-west Europe until August 1944, when his tank was hit and he was injured. He returned to the UK and finished his service at the end of 1945.
Following discharge, he too settled back into civilian life, always believing his good friend Mr Finlayson to have been killed in action in 1941.
Now they're aware of each other's existence again, the pair certainly have a lot of catching up to do. It's an incredible story, in the true spirit of Optimist World - an example too of how extraordinary good news can come long when you're least expecting it and a reminder that true friendship never dies.