205049 Sgt. Philip Joseph Cowie British Army Queen Mary's Regiment Surrey Yeomanry from:Clapham A happy story!
My late father wrote to his younger brother who was based in Taranto in the navy. He was due to pay a visit and, being an officer, was to be placed in officers' accomodation.
He then wrote to say he could not come. My uncle, Richard Cowie, somewhat disappointed, approached his CO for permission to go up to Naples to see my father. He was given 3 days and was told it was up to him to get there himself.
My uncle went to the nearby airfield, somehow dodged security, being a much smaller chap than my father. He went straight through to the CO of the airfield and asked if he could go on the next flight. He was told to report the next morning.
The pilot was waiting to leave when my uncle approached and boarded. He was told by the pilot that he was awaiting a VIP. That VIP was my uncle!
He flew up to Naples and the very next day found my father and they spent the day together. They decided to go into a photographer's shop and have a picture taken together. My father was about 6ft and my uncle more 5ft. "The bambino can stand on the box!" said the photographer. My uncle was barely 18!
The resulting picture was made into a postcard and sent home to their mother in Clapham. We still have that postcard.
As a momento of their meeting, my father went into a little shop and got a small box made up to contain cigarettes. On one side was painted the crest of Queen Mary's Regiment Surrey Yeomanry "Honi soit qui mal y pense." On the other side was painted the crest of the navy, "Post tenebras Lux."
This was in 1944. We still have that box. A lovely memento of a meeting between two brothers of two different services.
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