But 42 years were to elapse before they were reunited.

Duncan, of Bramley, Leeds, said: "My wife said 'there's a guy here in the YEP called Bob Field who was on your ship'.

"I didn't recognise him, but I knew the name. Then I saw this little picture from back then and I recognised him straight away."

Bob, 50, of Burmantofts, was in the paper being presented with the Pingat Jasa Malaysia Medal at Leeds's Royal Armouries.

Former bus driver Duncan tracked him down through the Leeds bus garages after spotting his fellow veteran was also a bus driver.

But when he telephoned, it wasn't until he revealed his nickname that Bob realised who was calling and they arranged to meet at Morrison's on Kirkstall Road.

Duncan, 62, said: "When I first spoke to him he didn't know me by my first name.

"I said 'it's Duncan, you might remember me by my nickname, Louis'. And he knew me straight away.

"It was brilliant. We are both a few stone heavier. But it was the same old Bob. We are going to meet up again."

Bob said: "We got on famously. We have good memories and we are going to meet again." Duncan was labelled Louis by shipmates on HMS Devonshire because of his surname – at that time Mohammed Ali had been dubbed the Louisville Lip.

Bob was one of the youngest servicemen when he was sent to Singapore – then part of Malaysia – in 1965, aged just 17.

HMS Devonshire was at sea when he arrived and for the next month he guarded the river from possible communist attacks.

When the ship returned he and Duncan were responsible for firing shells into the jungle.

British troops' efforts to defeat first Malayan communists and later Indonesian insurgents have never been recognised by Britain's Ministry of Defence.

But now they have been honoured by the Malaysian Government and more than 400 old soldiers were presented with the medal in Leeds.

Duncan, however, wasn't among them. He didn't know about the medal until he read the YEP story. To his delight, he was able to apply for the accolade.