World War Two: Soldier reunited with girl he met in France

For astir 80 years, Reg Pye had her photograph successful his wallet.

Huguette near the representation successful Reg's van arsenic acknowledgment for sharing a jam sandwich with her portion helium waited to beforehand into France arsenic World War Two raged.

A accidental brushwood amid the horrors of warfare adjacent the Normandy beaches and conscionable weeks aft D-Day whitethorn person been brief, but the representation has lasted a lifetime.

So overmuch truthful that seasoned Reg, 98, wanted to conscionable again - and they person successful an affectional rendezvous 78 years later.

"Here's a jam sandwich," helium said with a chuckle arsenic helium greeted Huguette astatine her attraction location successful bluish France.

"Nice to spot you again aft specified a agelong time," Huguette, present 92, replied smiling. "We got older but we're inactive the same."

This was a accidental for Reg, who had travelled from westbound Wales, to present himself decently arsenic their fleeting brushwood successful the summertime of 1944 erstwhile helium was 20 and Huguette was 14 lasted conscionable a fewer seconds.

The British worker had landed astatine Sword Beach with 224 Field Company, Royal Engineers, to assistance the Allied penetration of mainland Europe against the German force erstwhile helium stopped for a break.

"A van pulled up driven by a chap called Geordie and helium offered america a tin of pilchards," subject motortruck operator Reg recalled, taking his caput backmost to that chartless colony successful an country known during the warfare arsenic the Falaise Gap erstwhile helium came face-to-face with an chartless French teenager.

"There was besides a portion of bread. He enactment margarine connected with a paintbrush and we besides had a dollop of reddish jam.

"We walked backmost to wherever I had parked my van and I shared the pilchards betwixt maine and this different chap.

"Then I looked up and determination was a miss lasting successful beforehand of me. I didn't spot her coming.

"She had a, I shouldn't accidental it, but a shabby achromatic formal on. She didn't privation pilchards.

"She was staring astatine maine and I thought what is she staring at. I looked down and it was the bread. So I offered her the bread."

He does not callback her taking the bread, but tin retrieve her "running crossed the colony quadrate and going into the church. I ne'er saw her aft that".

The adjacent morning, successful his cab was his messiness tin and successful it, on with his quantity of milk, was a photograph of the girl.

"And that is the photograph I person kept successful my wallet for each that time."

It is not conscionable the achromatic and achromatic photograph of Huguette extracurricular a French presbytery that has remained adjacent to Reg each this time, it was the anticipation of 1 time tracking down her down.

"In the bleakest of times this spot of humanity enactment made a immense people connected my life," added Reg, who is from Burry Port successful Carmarthenshire.

Reg, whose woman of 72 years Meirwen died successful 2015, had tried to way Huguette down earlier with the assistance of his lone son, but they failed.

This time, with the assistance of veterans foundation Taxi, Reg could erstwhile again stock his jam sandwich with Huguette, present a mum of three.

"I've had this for 78 years," Reg said, handing her the faded aged photo.

As good arsenic the breadstuff and jam, cheeky Reg besides brought a tin of pilchards. And, conscionable similar successful 1944, Huguette rejected them again with a smile.

But, surrounded by their extended family, they did stock champagne arsenic friends helped to construe a speech successful which Huguette said she was "extremely touched" that Reg tried to find her.

"And she's inactive alive!" said Reg smiling. "Because successful my ain mind, I thought she's astir apt passed distant by present due to the fact that they'd had a hard clip erstwhile they were young.

"She was precise prim and proper. We had a bully welcome, the champion 45 hours of our lives."

At the extremity they shared a hug and buss connected the cheek, aft which Huguette laughed and said they would person to get joined now.

Reg agreed arsenic Huguette vowed to "dump" her existent fellow successful the attraction home.

"That's what they said done the interpreter 'she's going to wed you'," Reg added.