Happy Birthday

This is Capt. Raymond Habgood of the Durham Light Infantry, in a photograph taken prior to his officer training.  He joined the Army in April 1940 and after training at OCTU Wales, served in the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force from August 1941.  From January 1942 until June 1943 he was posted to Malta, and from September 1943 served in Kos until he was taken Prisoner of War by the Germans in October 1943.   A POW until April 1945, he returned to 'Civvy Street' in 1946 and to his job as a Fashion Buyer with J. Jones of Sunderland until he moved to a similar job with J. Newhouse of Middlesbrough, later to be taken over by Debenhams from where he retired in 1979.  He was also my father and to those who knew him, an old-fashioned gentleman.  He died in 1993 and today would have been his 100th birthday.  I will raise a glass to him this evening.