JUST like in the lyrics of the popular World War Two song, retired English farmer Peter Downing has made a sentimental journey - a sentimental journey to Bermuda to renew old memories.

Mr. Downing, 80, and his wife Ruth, from Suffolk, England, were in Bermuda last month celebrating their 54th anniversary at the picturesque Pink Beach hotel in Tuckers Town.

This was the first trip to Bermuda for Mrs. Downing. But the visit amounted to a trip down memory lane for Mr. Downing, who had not been back to Bermuda since his first visit during the Second World War.

Mr. Downing first came to Bermuda for two weeks in 1943 as a wartime child evacuee from Britain. He was one of thousands of children evacuated from London because of the German Blitz, the bombing campaign launched by Nazi Germany from September, 1940 to May, 1941 that targeted London and other major UK cities and towns.

By the end of 1941 more than a million homes in London had been damaged or destroyed and over 43,000 civilians had been killed because of the relentless bombing campaign.

Mr. Downing recalled the tumultuous time from his youth and said: "It was 1940 and my family was living near London. At that time one didn't know which way the war was going to go.

"It could have been one way or the other so my parents thought 'Well let's get two of the three kids out of the way'. So they sent my brother, who was 10, and me - I was 12 at the time - to America through Canada while my sister, who was three, stayed with my parents."

Mr. Downing remembers the day he and his brother left England and said: "We boarded a ship bound for Montreal with an escort of one naval destroyer that left us half way. When we arrived in Montreal we found that the ship we were on was almost sunk by a German U-Boat (submarine) and that the only reason we weren't sunk was because there were 30-foot waves and the submarine couldn't get a bead on us.

"Unfortunately the boat that came after us was sunk and a lot of children were lost. And because of that there was no more evacuating any children because they figured it was safer to stay put in England."

Once Mr. Downing arrived in Montreal he and his brother were taken to Boston where they were placed in the care of an elderly wealthy Boston widow until such time as London was safe for them to return.

The widow was philanthropist Helen Osborne Storrow whose late husband, James Jackson Storrow II, had been a prominent Boston investment banker who played a vital part in creating General Motors.Storrow Drive in Boston was named after him.

Mrs. Storrow was a prominent Girl Scout Leader and chair of the World Committee of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts for eight years and was very active in prison reform.

Mrs. Storrow has been described as a "doer and a progressive-minded woman, blessed with wealth and a willingness to share it. Her philanthropies touched communities all over Massachusetts, nowhere more markedly than in downtown Boston."

"We lived at her house in Lincoln and went to school in Concord," said Mr. Downing. "During the holidays we would vacation at various homes they owned.

"One of the places she owned was a house by the name of Fairwinds in Tucker's Town."

Describing his first trip to Bermuda in 1943 Mr. Downing said: "My brother was ill at the time so I went without him down to Baltimore and went on a seaplane to Bermuda.

"It was my first time being in an aeroplane and of course being a seaplane I didn't know whether it was going to go under or go over the water.

"When we got to Bermuda there were hardly any cars on the island and we were met by horse and carriage and the driver took us to Fairwinds in Tuckers Town right by the golf course. There weren't children my age but nonetheless I had a fantastic fortnight holiday there. Every night Mrs. Storrow and I would play chess."

Mr. Downing said 1943 Bermuda was a lot different than war-torn England and spoke about the time he had lunch with the Governor The Rt. Hon. Lord Burghley in Bermuda.

"At that time in Bermuda you hardly realised there was war on, although I did get letters from my parents telling what was going on," said Mr. Downing. "Mrs. Storrow was a prominent person both in America and Great Britain and was heavily involved with the Girl Guides. While here on vacation we had an opportunity to have lunch with the Governor. It was a great experience and after lunch I had to go play in the garden as she was having a meeting with the Governor."

Shortly after his trip to Bermuda Mr. Downing and his brother returned to England even though Mrs. Storrow wanted them to stay in America. "My brother and another English boy graduated president and vice president of their high school," said Mr. Downing. "Mrs. Storrow wanted my bother to stay and she wanted to put him through Harvard; but my parents thought we'd had enough hospitality from the Americans and we came home on a converted aircraft carrier in an enormous convoy."

Mr. Downing remembers the trip back to the United Kingdom and had responsibilities on the ship to fulfill during the journey. "There were 12 of us that were given jobs as messengers," said Mr. Downing. "One day I was given a message to take to the bridge that read: 'Submarine off the port bow.' Instead of taking the message to the bridge I went to see if I could see the submarine off the port bow!

"Fourteen days later I was home again in England where there were still German V2 rockets still flying around. When I returned to school I went to Gordonstoun in Scotland where Prince Charles once attended."

After graduating Mr. Downing and his brother became first generation farmers. "We started with five cows and one pig," said Mr. Downing. "Eventually we worked up to 700 acres, two cattle herds and a herd of pigs. Now I'm 80 and we've sold 300 acres but still have 45 acres. I was just saying the other day: You spend a life building something up, and then you knock it all down."

Mr. Downing said a lot has changed since his last visit to Bermuda in 1943 and was quick to praise the Bermuda Department of Public Transportation and in particular his great experience with Bermuda buses . "Upon my return to Bermuda the first thing I noticed was the transformation from horse and buggy to car. I must say the bus system is fantastic. I've never had such confidence in bus drivers before. Everyone has been marvellous.

"Other changes I've seen have been the increase in population, the buildings, and more homes. The only tourist attraction when I was here in 1943 was Devil's Hole and, of course that has changed too. I also notice how clean and immaculate the whole island is."

Mrs. Downing added: "Having been to the Caribbean a few times, everything here is so wonderful. I've been to Tobago, St. Lucia three times, Antigua and Bermuda is just the loveliest. I'm now saying 'If I die soon, at least I've been to paradise.' Now I understand what Mark Twain meant when he said he didn't want to go to heaven and that he'd rather stay in Bermuda!"

Mr. and Mrs. Downing said an interesting reconnection of sorts took place as they were taking a taxi tour one day. It turned out the taxi driver's mother had worked for Mrs. Storrow at Fairwinds.

Mrs. Downing was very impressed by Bermuda's dedication to conservation. "I've been working for the past 27 years with a professor who studies and works in conservation.

"Right now the professor is studying islands and that is why I went to the Bermuda Zoological Society at theBermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo and spoke with Joseph Furbert, the education officer there. I got a number of books on the ecology of Bermuda and there is so much being done down here with regards to conservation we were very impressed."

Mr. and Mrs. Downing, who met in 1952, were married on October 30, 1954. They are avid tennis players and Mr. Downing is a sailing, downhill skiing and hockey enthusiast.

These pasttimes, he said, reflect the time from his youth when he was living in Boston.

After working hard for so many years the Downings say it is nice to take a vacation every once in a while. "That's the secret to life," said Mr. Downing. "Don't put all your eggs in one basket. You work hard and play hard."

When they visited Bermuda, Mr. and Mrs. Downing toured the island from end to end. They said Bermudians proved to be so very kind and friendly, the locals they met made their 54th anniversary an event to remember.

"In one day we went to The Botanical Gardens, The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, and the Spittal Pond Nature Reserve," said Mrs. Downing. "One day we took the ferry from Hamilton to Dockyard and I must say people are so kind here. We went to the Visitors Information Centre and asked which bus to take to get to the Aquarium. The lady there said, 'I'm now going to my place in Flatts and can give you a lift!'

"She was so nice and so kind. The people have been so kind.

On our wedding anniversary the restaurant we were at produced a bottle of wine for our supper. On the plates they put '54th Anniversary Congratulations'! We've been thoroughly spoiled!"

Mr. and Mrs. Downing say they have loved their trip to Bermuda and look forward to coming back soon. When asked what the secret is to a 54-year marriage, Mr, Downing said: "Be friends. That's the main thing. Be patient and be tolerant. Communicate. Communication is important. You need to think the same about things and have the same ideas about life generally really.

"This great passion is fair enough, but you need to be friends and have been brought up the same. I think it is too easy to give up.

"Any major argument, that's sort of it these days. But it doesn't have to be. I think people think the grass is greener, but I think something might be better and something a darn site worse."