Army leaders meeting at defence conference discover they're former Cedars pupils from Linslade
Two military men realised that it really is a small world upon discovering that they were both Linslade schoolboys.
Matthew Edwards and Richard Hoy OBE were attending a defence conference in London as fate brought them together.
Richard had recently been selected to replace Matt in Abuja, Nigeria as deputy head of British Defence Staff in West Africa – when the pair realised their special connection.
Matt, 54, said: "We didn’t know each other from school, as I was three years ahead – nor have our paths crossed in the army after nearly 30 years of concurrent service.
"Richard was suggested as a friend on social media. When I looked at mutual friends, all were military – except one who had lived on my road in Linslade when I was growing up.
"I asked him how he knew this person, which is where the Cedars link emerged. We were both surprised."
The pair both enjoyed their time at Cedars, with Richard having "fond memories" and Matt being "lucky enough" to take part in a USA exchange programme.
Recalling his schooldays, Matt said: "Mr Smith was head of Sixth Form and my maths teacher for all five years. He really invested time and effort into our progress.
"My other passion was playing rugby, and the school had a really good rugby programme led by the boys’ sports teachers Mr Bishop and Mr Haddlington."
Richard, 51, added: "The sports and outdoors opportunities at Cedars were great. Mr Brown was a fantastic coach, both at rugby, but more broadly in outdoor pursuits.
"He put so much personal time into developing extracurricular activities, such as climbing and mountaineering."
Upon leaving school, military escapades awaited – with Richard drawn to the "prospect of travel and adventure", while Matt fell into the career by chance.
A Bristol University student with his sights set on engineering, he joined the Officer Training Corps as a way to play rugby and earn some money – "and the rest, as they say, is history!"
In his 33 years of service, he has visited over 30 countries with work, lived in the UK, Sierra Leone, the USA (twice), Turkiye, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria, and been deployed on operations to the Balkans, DRC, plus Afghanistan and Iraq – twice each.
Matt added: "In 2003 I was lucky enough to go to Sierra Leone for a year just after the end of the civil war to help with the training and development of the new armed forces.
"That was the start of just over ten years on the African continent, and nearly 20 years of overseas service."
Meanwhile, like Matt, Richard's favourite jobs have also been in operational planning and training.
He said: "I have been deployed to more than 25 countries, over five continents. I have also lived in Germany, Italy, and Kenya."
Now firm military mates, Matt and Richard will "definitely keep in touch" and last saw each other during a recent handover in Nigeria.
And while Richard now takes on his new role as ‘deputy head British Defence Staff West’, Matt is looking to retire from the army in January.
Richard is married to Kate, with the couple sharing three children and a dog. Their eldest child will also be joining the army after finishing his History degree.
Richard lived in Woburn Sands from the age of 12, moving from Fulbrook Middle School to Cedars (1988 -1993). After leaving school he went to university in Stirling to study History – an interest that grew thanks to Cedars teachers Mr and Mrs Lewis.
Meanwhile, Matt lives in Dorchester with his wife Sarah, their son (who is currently studying his A-levels), and their pet cat.
His family arrived in Leighton Buzzard when he was just six years old, after moving back to the UK from Libya where his father was working as an engineer. They lived at the top of Linslade, with Matt attending Southcott Lower, Linslade Middle (Mentmore) and Cedars Upper (1985 -1990).
Looking back on his school days, Matt concluded: "It is a bit of a cliché, but enjoy school, make the most of your time and the opportunities, because it will be over soon enough."