Graeme and I were the same age, and served in the same part of the Army.  In the mid 80s, we were both living in Camberley, and working in Andover, and used to car share from time to time.   Both smokers at the time, often our first drag of the day would be during this journey. 

About 8 years later, I was posted to one the Army Personnel branches, then located in Stanmore, to work on a giant number crunching and forecasting project, and then to take over Graeme's job as a career manager when he was inevitably promoted at the end of his tour.  He nicknamed my work 'Project Ridiculous' (it was), and was always a source of fun and laughter, despite his enviably sharp mind and professional ability.

The photo here was taken 25 years ago today, on the formation of the Royal Logistic Corps, showing all the new bling that we'd be wearing when we returned to uniformed jobs. I'm not sure he ever gave me the hammer back!

It was probably taken just before we hit the fizz, and the day culminated for Graeme and I, many, many hours later, in a Chinese restaurant in Stanmore, chopsticking our way around what he described as a 'very complicated' meal.  Somewhere along the way, the tattered remnants of the party found their way to a pub in Edgeware and I remember Graeme bumming a couple of cigarettes from a stranger, and we coughed our way through them, in my case the  first I'd had in abut 7 years. The motto of the new Corps was 'We Sustain', and that day, he clearly demonstrated his ability to supply under arduous circumstances ...

As it happened, we were both promoted at the same time, so it was another couple of years,  July 2016, that he finally got around to handing over a job to me, and what a hard act he was to follow. 

I'll never forget that megawatt grin and his gleeful irreverence, and I don't suppose anyone else who had the good fortune to be in his company will, either.