Paul and told him of my concerns about the guerrilla war and asked him that whatever influence he could muster with Peter to somehow that July to get him on a plane back to England to take up his place at Southampton.
“Leave it to me Mike” he re-assured me “I fully understand and I will have a quiet chat with him. Don’t worry he will be put on that plane”.
Paul was true to his word and he is forever in my debt for what he did for us at that time. I wrote a long letter of thanks and some years later met him in England and was able once more to thank him face to face. At the beginning of August 1975 I went down early one morning to Gatwick and met Peter who had flown back via Paris. No longer was he a shy retiring youth, now he was overbrimming with confidence. It was a long hot summer  although not as dry Or HOT AS the following year, and we had arranged with Paul and a French boy to go sailing at Chichester. Peter wanted to come and so a couple of hours later we were all down at the yacht  club  whilst Peter now barked orders at us all as if we were all a much of Africans to be shouted at!  After a few days his Mum had to gently remind him that he was back in England now where we get things done by request and not shouting out at everyone…..He soon calmed down in the quieter environment and that autumn he enrolled at Southampton where as I said he could take his degree and if he wanted to work in Africa, he could get a job from England where he could make his base  and not be subject to the whims and fancies of some petty dictator and the instability of the whole region.

Next Chapter 3/3

Stoneways Garden