For Eric Lebolo, of London, England, has paid his first visit to the Island since his wartime service at HMS Malabar in 1942-43.

And he renewed a 50-odd-year-old friendship with Bermudian Herbert Tatem, a former Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps soldier who ended up on detachment to the Royal Navy.

The two hooked up again after Mr. Tatem took a cruise two years ago, docked in London and checked telephone directories on the off-chance his wartime mate was listed.

Mr. Tatem said: "I looked in the phone books at our hotel and I couldn't find his name.

"We went up to the room and saw another phone book -- I looked in that and there was his name.

"He lived right in the same area as our hotel. It was the first time in 53 years I'd been in contact.'' Mr. Lebolo, 75, said he had happy memories of his year in Bermuda, which ended when he was drafted to a minesweeper based in Trinidad.

But he said: "The biggest change I've seen is the traffic -- and there's been a lot of things pulled down. The old crane at Dockyard isn't there any more.'' He admitted: "It was a bit strange coming here -- I was only 19 at the time.

"But it was English-speaking which helped and the hospitality was great.

People couldn't do enough for you.'' And he said he had managed to visit St. George's for the first time on his second trip to Bermuda.

Mr. Lebolo added: "I've enjoyed it very much. All the time I was here, I never been up to St. George's. It's marvellous. It's definitely my number one spot in Bermuda.'' And he revisited Malabar and Dockyard -- once home to up to 50 Navy vessels at a time, now undergoing a rebirth as a major tourist attraction.

Mr. Lebolo said: " Malabar has definitely changed for the better. It's all cleaned up a lot. There's so much there now. It was just a typical dockyard when I was here.

"But the old Clocktower is still the same and the Commissioner's House is still there, but it's a bit of a shell compared to what it was.'' He added: "I've enjoyed the visit very much and I'm glad I came back -- I probably never would have if I hadn't met Herbert.'' Mr. Lebolo -- a retired UK Post Office telecommunications engineer -- and Mr.

Tatem worked together in the shadowy world of the Allied communications network, vital to the war effort.

After a spell in Trinidad, he went back to England and was posted to Montreal and a shipyard building tank landing craft for the D-Day invasion of France.

He was based at the massive Scapa Flow naval base in Scotland's Orkney Islands awaiting posting to the Pacific when Japan surrendered.

Mr. Lebolo said: "I was in the regular Navy and left in 1948. Looking back at it, I led a charmed life -- I just missed the Pacific campaign.'' Mr. Tatem, of Appleby Lane, Paget, spent 14 months at Malabar before being transferred to Spanish Point's Admiralty House, based in the cipher office.

After the war, he resumed his career with H.A. & E. Smith before moving into insurance then the Bank of Bermuda.

But he said: "The war was very happy days, even under the circumstances. We still managed to have fun.''