WHILE purchasing The Bolton News ton Monday morning, I was amazed to hear two young girls from the high school asking who the person was in the full spread picture on the front page of The Sun.

I told her it was one of the most famous and influential people in British history.

That but for him, she would be speaking German. It was, of course, Sir Winston Churchill.

I have no idea what the history curriculum is in schools nowadays, but maybe it is time our teachers started spending less classroom time telling pupils about ancient history and more time speaking about the history of the 20th century.

There is enough material out there for students to dig up information for class and homework, as well as course work.

There is footage in the archives from Queen Victoria's reign, through the Zulu wars, Crimea, First World War, Second World War, Korean War, Vietnam, the Falklands as well as more modern things.

Tsunamis, earthquakes The fall of the Berlin Wall and the break-up of the Russian Federation.

These are the things that reflect what is happening now and which is actually history in the making.

Desmond Magurk Bolton