Thanks Billyblue and Sparrett.
He did not have a catering role in the services, he was an engineer and had done an apprenticeship with Earle's engineering, I presume in Hull. I think the cafe proprietor may have been a different Horace as I did find reference to a Horace Vincent in 1945 and I know he was in England then and serving in the merchant navy.
Thanks for you experience Billyblue. After finding all the information on his war service with the help of seaweed I had to investigate, just in case.
