I would think that it is a very rare individual who goes through life without making some very good friends.

One of the joys of reaching mature years is the ability to look back and truly appreciate the immense value that such friends have added to ones own life.

On the debit side is the seemingly un-ending funeral and commemoration services that one attends but I have always tried to stress the positive side of such events by taking along a few photographs.

Last week I attended a Stone Setting of a very dear friend, Arthur, who I had known from school days and I took with the attached.

The school snap is dated 1932, Arthur is front row 3rdleft and that's a very worried looking me, 2nd row 4th left.

The C&BG Club re-union snap was taken in 2004.

Friendships...........impossible to put a value on them

Ron

Attached Images

	Class 3 Rochelle Street 1932.jpg (147.1 KB, 11 views)
	Ron & Arthur Allsuch.jpg (72.9 KB, 9 views)

__________________
During the period October 1942 to January 1947 my wartime "Cook's Tour" took me to the following places:
North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Austria, Egypt & Germany.
My units were the: 49th Light Ack Ack Rgt.RA and
The 4th Queen's Own Hussars.

Wow. Very good thought. Alot of us dont realise how important it is to have good and close friends. Thanks Ron.

__________________


Joe beat me as youngest member here :'( Darn you Joe!

Thanks, Ron. I do feel for you as you lose people, and am glad that you find comfort in the joy of having had those friends.

My Dad always said I was very lucky because I had good friends and that I kept them. He said he moved so much as a kid and then after losing so many of his buddies in the War (only 8 of those who enlisted when he did returned home) that he found it hard to letting anyone in after that.

__________________
Regards, Michelle

Oliver Goldsmith, "I love everything that's old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines."

You're a good man Ron.

__________________
All the Best
Jack

Ron,
You speak of losing friends and I've not traveled that road yet, but I know it is coming one day. I guess that is the thing I fear most is losing those who have meant so much to me for so long.

Sapper has mentioned the passing of dear friends in WW2Talk, most notably a man this past Spring whom he described as his last pal from the war. It surely must be hard on all concerned.

__________________
Best Regards,
JW

Thanx Ron!

You´re absolutely correct that there´s nothing more valuable than good friends! I definitely have "put my money" on my friends for a decade now once I understood what it meant almost to lose several of them when I was away from Finland for a long time.

__________________

Whilst on the subject of friendship I'd like to mention (yet again !) my old boy's club, the C&BG.

I first joined the club in 1934 and still attend annual reunions where we "oldies" bask in nostalgia and the pleasure of good company and relive triumphs of yester-year.

We used to have a polished oak memorial board set up in the reception area on which were recorded the names of members who had passed away during the preceding year and one member, who was a professional artist, was given the job of keeping the board up to date.

One year I had arrived fairly early and discovered Len hard at work with a small pot of golden paint.

I couldn't resist asking him how he felt about having to perform this rather morbid task.

Len has long since passed away himself and we no longer display the board in the reception area but I can still remember his reply.

"Once a year I come here early with my little pot of paint. I unwrap the board, and as long as my name is not there, I'm a happy man !"

Cheers Len !

Ron

http://candbgoldboys.blogspot.com/

__________________
During the period October 1942 to January 1947 my wartime "Cook's Tour" took me to the following places:
North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Austria, Egypt & Germany.
My units were the: 49th Light Ack Ack Rgt.RA and
The 4th Queen's Own Hussars.

A strong, good, and valid point made Ron.