THE bond between identical twins can be incredibly strong in any walk of life.

But when faced with the horrors and heartbreak of war, it became even stronger for Clifford and Ronald Wheeler.

The brothers signed up together in 1942 when they were 18.

The agreement was twins were placed in the same unit and posted together.

This was the case for Clifford and Ronald, from Colchester, who joined the RAF’s mobile parachute unit.

They travelled the world teaching servicemen how to pack up parachutes after landings, but their first posting was just up the road in Earls Colne.

Clifford, 91, admits the pair enjoyed confusing their peers and superiors who could not tell them apart.

He said: “In 1943 when the Americans came they always mixed us up, even the sergeants couldn’t tell the difference.

“Being so near to home, we were allowed 24 hours off a fortnight. If I was going on leave on the Tuesday, I would have the Tuesday and Wednesday off because we could impersonate each over. Nobody ever found out.

“The only thing was I’m left handed and my brother was right handed.

“When we went to firing ranges I had to use my right hand to shoot.”

Determined to stay together, the brothers even turned down a promotion.

They were told one of them was to be made corporal, but as their unit was so small, with just 12 men, there could only be one non commissioned officer, so they rejected the opportunity.

But in 1944 the brothers were separated, when Ronald was sent to Calcutta.

They were apart for more than six months, and were only reunited when they wrote to officers back in Britain to point out what had happened.

Clifford said: “It was hell. It wasn’t good. I didn’t know where he was.

“If you have been with somebody for 20 years and you’ve always been together you miss each other.

“But luckily enough we got back together again. We got back together so when war finished we would go together to Java.”

The brothers decided not to tell their mother they had been separated as they did not want to worry her. The boys lost their father when they were just three.

They had two brothers and two sisters. The brothers were also sent off to fight, one in Egypt and the other in bomb disposal in Thetford.

Clifford said: “Mum didn’t know, so she used to send a letter to me and fortunately enough I knew somebody who was flying then who took the letter she had written to my brother.

“She didn’t know until we got home.”

Ronald and Clifford’s service took them to Bombay, Singapore, Malaya and Batavia.

Clifford said: “We crossed the equator several times, some by boat and some by air.”

When the Americans arrived in 1943, they were presented with a copy of the New Testament, with a printed note from Roosevelt thanking them for their contribution.

Their service did not end when the war finished, and they were sent to Java to continue their work.

When they returned home, both brothers married and Ronald moved to Thorpe for a while, but moved back to Colchester.

He died 18 years ago following a heart attack. Clifford has a number of medals from the war, but there is one he is particularly fond of.

He has a SE Asia medal for service between 1945 and 1946, after the war had ended. He is unaware of anyone else with the same medal, and is keen to speak to anyone who has one.

If you have a medal for that period, please call the newsdesk on 01206 508432.