Chance meeting sparks new friendship

West Midland soldier Gemma Leek went to serve in Afghanistan – and met a neighbour she had not seen for 13 years in the queue for lunch.

The 28-year-old Captain lived just yards away from Sally Mullen throughout their childhood and both went to the same school and Air Cadet unit before losing touch when she joined the army at the age of 15. She explained: "We just bumped into each other at the Camp Bastion cook house. I was waiting in line for lunch.

"Most women change their hair styles every five minutes but luckily ours have remained pretty much the same and we had no trouble recognising each other. It was an amazing moment and we have been catching up on the gossip ever since."

Captain Mullen, aged 26, said: "I had only just arrived and was waiting to get my food when I saw Sally frantically waving at me. It was lovely to see a familiar face and an awfully long way to travel to renew our friendship after all those years, especially since we had spent more than 10 years living just yards apart."

The pair attended Waseley Hill High School near their homes in Rubery and went to the local Air Cadets training centre before losing touch when Cpt Leek, now with the Adjutant General Corps based at Aldershot.

Cpt Mullen went to King Edwards College, Stourbridge and university in Cardiff before training at Sandhurst and in September marries Naval Lieutenant Andy Young whom she met on a gap year in Vietnam eight years ago.

She has recently been working at Frimley Park Hospital in Aldershot, unaware that Cpt Leek lives and is employed nearby.

Camp Bastion is the main British military base in Afghanistan.

Accommodating 21,000 people it is situated northwest of Lashkar Gah and is the logistics hub for operations in Helmand. It is the largest British overseas military camp built since the Second World War.