Best gift of all!

Army veterans David Matthews (right) and Eddie Hodgeson are re-united after over 45 years. Also pictured is Bev Cuerden who tracked down Eddie.

FOR Dave Matthews this is the Christmas gift money couldn’t buy.

It didn’t need wrapping or fancy bows because this was the gift of a friendship so strong, 46 years of not seeing other melted away in seconds.

This was the moment Dave and his old army buddy Eddie “Yorkie” Hodgson met each for the first time since Eddie was best man at his wedding at St Paul’s Church, in Ashton Road, on October 18, 1969.

During four years of living through thick and thin together while serving in the Aden Emergency, in what is now Yemen, with 1 Royal Horse Artillery, the pair became like brothers and every leave Eddie — an orphan — would stay with Dave in Oldham and became like one of the family.

But after Dave’s wedding Eddie returned to his home town of Goole, in East Yorkshire, and they lost touch.

Dave (67), from Fitton Hill — who has overcome bowel cancer twice and suffers from diabetes, arthritis and angina — was desperate to find his pal but attempts to trace him failed until a very Good Samaritan crossed his path.

Noticing his Veteran’s Badge Bev Cuerden, also a former army veteran, stopped to chat to Dave and took him to a nearby Salvation Army cafe in Fitton Hill precinct, where she’s a volunteer.

After hearing his military tales and his sadness of not being able to find Eddie, also 67, she called on her contacts in an organisation called Ride to the Wall — a group which organises an annual fundraising motorbike ride to the Armed Forces Memorial, known as “The Wall”, at the National Memorial Arboretum, in Staffordshire.

Within a couple days she had tracked Eddie down.

And once the Chronicle heard their story we wanted to make sure they didn’t lose any more precious time and paid for Eddie to come back to Oldham for an emotional Christmas reunion.

“This is the best Christmas present I could have wished for,” said Dave.

“Seeing Eddie again after all this time is like winning the lottery.

“He meant so much to me, he was like a brother. All my family loved him.

“When he used to come and stay with us when we were on leave we used to go everywhere because Eddie hadn’t really been anywhere having lived in children’s homes.

“We had such good times together and lots of laughs. We went everywhere together.

“When Bev told me she’d found him, I had tears in my eyes.

“I rang him and we were on the phone for two hours chatting. I had to go and get £20 top up on my phone to call him back.”

Eddie, who became a long distance lorry driver on leaving the Army, said the first thing he wanted to know was what Dave’s hair was like!

“When we were in the Army Dave had a big mop of black, curly hair so I asked him if he still had it,” he said.

“It’s fantastic to see Dave again, it doesn’t feel like all those years have passed. Once we got chatting it seemed like yesterday when we were in the Army.

“I couldn’t believe it when I got a phone call from Bev, I was elated. She’s been brilliant and we can’t thank her enough for what she has done in bringing us together.

“We will definitely stay in touch now. We’ve got so much to talk about!”

Modest Bev said: “It’s wonderful to see them here chatting away about old times but I didn’t really do much, just contacted a few people on the internet.

“I think it just goes to show how sparing a bit of time to have a chat with someone can make a big difference

“Dave didn’t go out that often or see many people but now he pops down here to the community cafe and has a chat quite often. That’s why it’s here and it means a lot to him now.”

As the pair sat in “The Brew”, where their epic reunion journey began just a few weeks ago, old memories flooded back for the friends as they laughed and joked, recalling times gone by.

From going on safari in Mombasa to some crazy trips to Blackpool and being surrounded by girls in the Astoria, in Oldham, “because of their impressive Middle East tans” the pair revealed a rich history together.

They chuckled as they remembered a trip to Yorkshire Street to buy new clothes while on leave.

“We were a bit cold having come back from the Middle East so we went to a gentlemen’s outfitters to buy some polo-necked jumpers,” recalled Dave.

“As we walked into the shop this car coming down Yorkshire Street backfired and the loud bang made us think were being shot at so we both hit the decks! The staff thought we were mad and asked us what we were doing so we explained we were in the Army and home from Aden and they give us the jumpers for free!”

Next year their former regiment is holding a 50th anniversary reunion, in Dudley, in the West Midlands, and Bev has already booked Dave into a hotel for the event so he can meet up again with Eddie and other old comrades.