The 88-year-old Marine veteran talks about loving a home he bought twice

A Navy veteran has told how much he loves his home that he bought it twice – and even returned to England from New Zealand after hearing it was on the market.

Brian Howlett, 88, who was born in Hull, joined the Navy at the age of 15 and served as a radio operator around the world for 17 years.

When he was 17 he met his wife Janet while working in Portsmouth and four years later they married. The couple, who had two children, bought a house in Honiton, Devon, in 1977.

Mr and Mrs Howlett remained in the house until 2002, when they sold it upon retirement to move to New Zealand to be with their daughter and granddaughter.

I missed it so much that when I saw it was for sale I bought it again, I couldn’t help it. This is where my children grew up, this is where I lived with my wife and this is where I pursued my hobbies

Before they left, they asked the buyers of their home to tell them if they ever planned to sell it and to give them a first refusal.

Four years later, Mr Howlett and his wife received a call telling them the house was on the market – and returned to England to buy it again, moving in in 2007.

Mr Howlett now lives alone on the property following the death of his wife Janet and is being cared for by The Good Care Group following a stroke.

“I’ve lived in my house for over 40 years – although I sold it and moved to New Zealand for a few years,” Mr Howlett said.

“I missed it so much that when I saw it was for sale I bought it again, I couldn’t help it. This is where my children grew up, this is where I lived with my wife and this is where I pursued my hobbies.

“I used to be an amateur radio operator and spoke to people all over the world in my radio room – after all these years I still have my Axminster radio and couldn’t bear to part with it.”

The Howlett family initially lived in Portsmouth with daughter Debbie and son Gareth before moving to Honiton in Devon.

Mr. Howlett left the Navy in 1969 and from that year was employed in the civil service as a communications instructor. He later worked in Saudi Arabia while his family remained in Devon.

He retired in 2002 at the age of 69 and moved with his wife Janet to Dunedin, New Zealand, to be close to their daughter Debbie, who lived there.

They bought back their home in Honiton at the end of 2006 and moved back in at the beginning of 2007.

We are incredibly good at forming attachments to things, be it pets, the wallpaper, memorable objects, or the view of the garden

Mr Howlett said the couple loved their home in Devon, where their children grew up and they hosted many dinner parties, and couldn’t resist going back.

Following his wife’s death, Mr Howlett suffered a stroke which resulted in him spending time in hospital and then in temporary care.

He has been looked after by a carer named Winter from The Good Care Group for three years. She lives in his house for six weeks at a time and takes a two-week break when his second carer, Monica, takes over.

Darren Kennedy, chief executive of the Good Care Group, called on the government to ensure older people can be cared for at home.

He said this would protect their welfare while easing pressure on the health system.

“Almost all of us have lived our entire lives in just a handful of homes, raising families, growing up with our parents and growing up with siblings along the way,” Kennedy said.

“We are incredible at forming bonds with things, be it pets, the wallpaper, memorable objects or the view of the garden.

“We have spent thousands of hours in our homes, filling them with material things that are precious to us and with irreplaceable memories.”

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