Every patient has a story to share about their lives.

Maurice Bowser, who died recently after a long-running struggle with bone marrow cancer, was keen to share his experiences while undergoing treatment at the old Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Edgbaston.

He had more than his fair share of adventures in his 87 years. The former Royal Navy signalman recalled how he nearly died because of his skipper’s stammer and later, how he escaped unscathed from gun-toting bank-robbers.

Maurice had begun what should have been a quiet career in the banking industry in 1940 at the NatWest Bank in Quinton but, along with most of his generation, that quiet life couldn’t survive.

In 1942 he was called up to the Royal Navy and spent 16 months based near the Icelandic capital Reykjavik before being posted to a paddle steamer on “Doodlebug Guard” off Cowes.

His next role aboard a minesweeper nearly brought disaster: “The skipper was a lovely, lovely chap, a good captain… but he had this stammer, which nearly killed the lot of us!

“We were on patrol and saw this mine really close on the port bow. The skipper went to shout but all he could get out was ‘hard a-st.. hard a-st… hard a-st...’ Then there was a huge clanging sound as the mine bounced off the hull. We were lucky: it had been defused when it had come loose from its mooring on the sea bed!”

When he was demobilised in 1946, Maurice returned to the bank and by 1958 he was manager of the branch. On 19 November that year he found himself staring death in the face again when four young men burst into the bank: “They had a gun to my head, demanding the money. I was fine in the end. They got away with £18,000 but the police caught them eventually!”

Maurice took the same approach to his health challenges. At a regular check-up with his chiropodist at City Hospital, his doctor became concerned about his circulation. Maurice was initially diagnosed with a heart problem but treatment with statins was ineffective, and he was diagnosed with a blood problem when he went to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Sadly, weeks after sharing his memories, Maurice died in hospital but his story is a lasting legacy and a reminder that each one of us has a history to share.