I was delighted when I was invited to spend an afternoon with Major Steve Baker (as he is known to Oswestrians), and his daughter-in-law, Jacqui.

Steve is actually Lieutenant Colonel Baker, rather than Major. Having been at Oswestry initially for a few months, he returned after completing his second tour to, what used to be called, the Gold Coast; a section of the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, in Africa. During this period Steve was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, but because he was instantly recognised as 'Major Baker' by the boys on his return to school, he retained this title.

We spent a wonderful couple of hours talking about his time at Oswestry and how he, and teacher Mike Lynch, came up with the idea of taking the boys (originally) to trek in Hannibal's footsteps. Securing two brand new land rovers from the army, the first expedition was born taking 30 days from start to finish.

Having just celebrated his 100th birthday, Steve was incredibly modest about the card he had received from the Queen, and needed cajoling to brandish it for a photograph.

I will be visiting again. If you have any memories or photographs you would like me to share with Major Baker, please do get in touch at oldoswestrians@oswestryschool.com.