IT was love at first sight for Joanne Atherton when she bumped into a real Officer and a Gentleman in her native Liverpool.

The 30-year-old writer met her uniformed hunk while at a nightclub with friends. Although the pair hit it off instantly, she is still desperately trying to track down the man, who is based at RAF Brize Norton.

Joanne, who lives in Liverpool, has no idea exactly where Cpl James Murphy lives, although it is somewhere in Oxford city centre, and she hopes someone can help her.

She told the Oxford Mail: "It was really strange. The reason I have asked for help is because I read a piece in the paper about fast track love and thought it was exactly the same as my story.

"I was walking into a pub in Liverpool as James walked out with his friends, who were up from Oxford.

"He said to me 'I'm going to war tomorrow so you've got to promise you'll be faithful'!", said Joanne, who lives with her four-year-old daughter.

"He was very good looking with blond hair and blue eyes and was really nice. Normally if you are chatting to someone, you talk about total rubbish but we got on so well." All she knows is that James has a house in the city centre and was going out to the Middle East in November last year, the day after they met. He gave her his P.O. address which she threw away, not thinking they would ever meet again but now she regrets it deeply because she has no way of contacting him.

She said: "I felt so at ease with James. He was about to leave with his friends as I'd walked into the pub, but he then told them he was staying with me.

"We sat on a bench and talked for hours. It was the middle of November and we sat talking until 4am before he said he had to go."

All his friends who had gone to Liverpool from Oxford had been mountain climbing that day. In the morning they were all travelling to Oxford before going to the Gulf.

"I really regret not giving him my address when reality hit. I think it must have been fate the way we met.

"I'd love to get hold of him and apologise for not writing. At first I thought there was no point in writing to him but now I know I do want to see him."

She said the only other information she has is that James, who will be 30 next month, has a twin sister who works at the bomb disposal unit at RAF Brize Norton.

"He seemed genuine and nice enough but I hope he won't be embarrased about all this. And I will definitely come to Oxford if he wants to see me again!"

If you know James or you are James, please call Gemma Simms at the Oxford Mail on 01865 425467.

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