A Happy Coincidence.
By Jabo
@jaboUK (64354)
United Kingdom
October 14, 2015 4:11pm CST
My father and my uncle were both in the Army in World War 2, Dad serving mainly in France and Belgium, his brother in North Africa.
Dad's regiment was evacuated from France when it looked like Hitler's troops were going to overrun France, and he was sent to the south of England in order to train other soldiers in combat skills.
One day he heard tanks passing his camp, and went to watch them go by. Amazingly he saw his brother's head protruding from the top of one of the tanks. He hadn't seen him for a couple of years, and thought he was still in Africa. Troops weren't allowed to communicate their whereabouts during the war, even to their families.
Of course the tank couldn't stop as it was in a convoy, but Dad ran by the side of it and shouted to his brother, and they arranged a meeting for that evening.
Have you come across such an amazing coincidence as this?
55 people like this
60 responses
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
14 Oct 15
My most amazing personal coincidence is finding the name of an old school friend scrawled on the back of a toilet door in Cannes. He had an unusual name, so it was probably the chap I used to know.
8 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
15 Oct 15
@troyburns And presumably he was a grown man, and still scrawling on toilet doors like a schoolboy!
1 person likes this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
15 Oct 15
@jaboUK - Yes. I knew him from Nelson College in NZ. What was perhaps just as amazing is that he had used the same toilet (I presume) just a few days earlier.
3 people like this
@Rosekitty (19368)
• San Marcos, Texas
15 Oct 15
No i haven't but what a wonderful story you posted..Love it!
3 people like this
@Rosekitty (19368)
• San Marcos, Texas
15 Oct 15
@jaboUK sadly i wish all of them Soldiers could see what they are not knowing about that and have passed on.including my dad..
3 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
15 Oct 15
@Rosekitty It is a great story isn't it? And wouldn't they be amazed if they could see that I've written about them, and that people like you on another continent can read and reply to me in an instant? It would seem like magic to them.
3 people like this
@allknowing (138207)
• India
15 Oct 15
Not as intense as this but I wanted to meet a classmate of mine and the very day when I was thinking of her I saw her at a railway station. We had not seen each other after we had left school.
3 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
15 Oct 15
@allknowing That is quite a coincidence of your own, to meet her after you'd been thinking about her.
2 people like this
@allknowing (138207)
• India
16 Oct 15
@Marcyaz And that too after so many years. You can imagine what my feelings were at that time. We exchanged our phone numbers and kept in touich thereafter. But now we are not in touch any more as I have shifted here.
3 people like this
@rebelann (113038)
• El Paso, Texas
15 Oct 15
You're so lucky, I've only met my uncles once when I was about 9 or 10.
The only story I know about dad pertaining to WWII is one mom told us @jaboUK he never ate fish which had something to do with surviving on a Japanese occupied island and having to eat them raw because a cooking fire would have alerted them. I do know that dad had nightmares though, but he never talked about them, or at least not with us kids.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (472222)
• Switzerland
15 Oct 15
This is an incredible coincidence. My Dad and all my four uncles were in the army during WW2. My father was sent in Sardinia, he stayed there for 5 years. One of my uncle was in Africa, another in Tuscany, he was a pilot instructor and had a terrible accident. I do not remember where the other two were. I know that they never met during the war time. My grandmother told me many times that she thought that my father has been killed because they had no news for 5 years.
3 people like this
@SIMPLYD (90721)
• Philippines
15 Oct 15
Wow , what a very nice and happy coincidence . Imagine , being in the army , not letting your family members know where you are presently assigned . That is so hard. Congratulations to your dad and his brother for surviving the World War 2 . 
2 people like this
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
15 Oct 15
extraordinary - it must have been great for their morale to find one another in such circumstances
3 people like this
@cgalavia (1436)
• Philippines
15 Oct 15
I'ts good for them to be able to see each other for a long time,for sure they have a long talk.they must have miss each other a lot.
Oh yes many times sometimes the people you least expect to see for many years will show up like a ghost and of course,it's time for reconnecting and bonding.
2 people like this
@TexanTornado (5573)
• United States
14 Oct 15
Oh wow. No, I can't say that I have. That is pretty remarkable, I would have to mark that up to fate.
2 people like this
@TexanTornado (5573)
• United States
15 Oct 15
@jaboUK That is absolutely wonderful. I truly believe everything happens for a reason.
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
15 Oct 15
@TexanTornado Whatever you like to call it, it was really amazing. And they could so easily have missed each other if Dad hadn't gone to watch the tanks go by.
2 people like this
@piyushap (25)
• New Delhi, India
15 Oct 15
Yeah! i had a coincidence like that! i went with my friends away on a beach to spend some quality time and i had lied to my boss, that i was not well so i will not be coming to the office. But then my boss had not given me the permission of absency saying that he was also not feeling well and as he was the boss i had to go anyway to the office. But ignoring him i anyway did not go to the office that day and went on the beach instead. And to my surprise! that day on the beach i saw my boss spending some "time" with his secretary on the beach!! WHHAT A COINCIDENCE! and regading my absency... he could not do anything because he was lying too! and he was caught lovemaking with his secretary! :-P
2 people like this
. I should think he treated you well after that in case you told anyone.
@VivaLaDani13 (60808)
• Perth, Australia
3 Nov 16
@jaboUK I am glad that he looked there at the right time and ran up to go arrange a time to meet. That's lucky.
I'm sure I would have stories but can't think of any at the moment.
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
3 Nov 16
@VivaLaDani13 Yes, It was lucky that Dad noticed his brother going by.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
3 Nov 16
@HAPPSINGH That's right - they do a wonderful job.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
15 Oct 15
no ma'am, i fear i aint. i'm so glad they were able to meet by chance 'n get together later. no doubt they'd lots'f catchin' up to do!
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
15 Oct 15
@crazyhorseladycx No doubt they did have a lot to say to each other about their war experiences, both having been on different continents.
2 people like this
@antonbunot (11093)
• Calgary, Alberta
15 Oct 15
No, I have not come across an amazing coincidence . . except while I am browsing for the first time here ( I just registered) I found your name but it disappeared. haha
2 people like this
@antonbunot (11093)
• Calgary, Alberta
15 Oct 15
@jaboUK By the way, where is the follow button, jabo? And those emoticons?
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (83176)
• United States
15 Oct 15
Wow what a stroke of luck that your dad and his brother met up like that. Great story to pass down for generations
2 people like this
@blitzfrick (2890)
• United States
15 Oct 15
I finally remembered this chance meeting: I was in the airport waiting to catch a flight and heard my name called. I turned around and it was my bosom buddy from high school. She was waiting to catch a flight too, where she was living at the time. We'd lost touch for many years. We spent an intense 15 or 20 minutes exchanging contact info and memories, then we were off in opposite directions, me to Oregon, she to Norway.
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
15 Oct 15
@blitzfrick What a wonderful coincidence that was Carol, especially since she had been your bosom buddy.
2 people like this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
15 Oct 15
That gave me goose bumps. What a wonderful happy story. I can't think of anything like that that ever happened to me...maybe later?
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
15 Oct 15
@PainsOnSlate Lol - there's still time! This is a great tale isn't it? You couldn't make it up
2 people like this
