Chance Meeting

Rodger Mason and his newly found sister Joan

Rodger in 1962 serving with 1st Green Jackets, (43rd & 52nd)

A brother and sister separated by the horrors of war have been reunited in a chance encounter - almost 50 years later. Rodger Mason, 68, had not had any contact with his younger sister Joan since he went off to fight for the British army in Malaya in 1962. So he was stunned when she tapped him on the shoulder at a war medals presentation and asked: ‘Excuse me, are you Rodger Mason?’ It’s a small world: the pair discovered they have been living just up the road from one another for years Rodger, from Southsea, Hants, said: ‘I couldn’t believe she’d recognised me after all these years. It took me 30 seconds or so then I knew it was her.’ The chance meeting happened at the Royal M aritime Club in Portsmouth, Hants. Five hundred veterans were awarded the Pingat Jasa Malaysia Medal for helping to defeat Communist insurgents and the Indonesian army in the far eastern country. Rodger Mason had not had any contact with his younger sister Joan since 1962. Joan was there to see her husband Trevor Wright honoured for his service aboard HMS Lincoln. She said: ‘I saw Rodger from across the room and I knew straight away that it was him. ‘I have a photo of my dad and he looks just like him. What are the odds that we’d both be here? ‘It’s incredible to see him after all this time.’ The siblings, who have different mothers but share the same father, were separated when their parents parted ways in the late 1940s. Rodger said: ‘I must have been about six at the time and Joan was a baby. They didn’t keep families together in those days.’ Rodger was raised in care and joined the First Battalion Green Jackets as a teenager. Until 1962, he would often go and stay with Joan’s family between his overseas deployments. ‘We used to call Joan “Smoky” because on the day she was born our house caught fire. ‘So when she introduced herself I said “Hello Smoky”. I’m absolutely shocked to be honest. ‘I can’t believe she recognised me after all these years.’ The long-lost relatives swapped phone numbers and now plan to keep in touch and meet regularly.

4th and 7th Rifles receive freedom of salisbury

4th Battalion The Rifles at the double march in Salisbury

On 24th November thousands of well-wishers lined the streets of Salisbury to applaud and cheer soldiers from The Rifles Regiment as they took part in a freedom parade through the city. Nearly 200 soldiers from 4th Battalion The Rifles, a mechanised infantry regiment based in Bulford, and 7th Battalion The Rifles, a Territorial Army detachment based in Swindon, marched through the city accompanied by the Band and Bugles of The Rifles and members of the Wiltshire Army Cadet Force. The Duchess of Cornwall, who is the Royal Colonel of 4 Rifles, and the Mayor of Salisbury, Councillor Brian Dalton, inspected the troops as they formed up on parade in Salisbury Cathedral Close and took the salute by the city’s Guildhall during the march. On presenting the Freedom Scroll to Lt Gen Sir Nick Park

er, Colonel Commandant of The Rifles, the Mayor said: “It gives the citizens of Salisbury great pride to see The Rifles on parade today and I know it is their wish that I should extend to each and every one of you their very best wishes on this great occasion in the hope that The Rifles will go from strength to strength, adding to their honours and occupying with distinction their proud place in their service to the Queen and country.” It is estimated that some 8,000 people had turned out to see the troops, the CO of 4 Rifles, Lt Col Nick Thornton, said: “It was very humbling to see the thousands of people who were prepared to take time out of their busy day to stand and line the route while we marched past and show their huge support.” The Rifles, through its antecedent regiments, has recruited infantry soldiers from the city of Salisbury for generations. The freedom of the city was extended to The Rifles because it had also been granted to other units which finally contributed to the formation of The Rifles regiment in February 2007.