OVER the years, reader Arnold Harrison has written in this column many tales about his life in Bolton as a boy.

One of his stories made its way to former Boltonian Bryan Caldwell in South Africa, who says that Arnold's mention of Shearer's Farm at Deane brought back happy memories.

"I knew both Arnold and Gordon Shearer. I am a few years older than Arnold, and his mother entrusted me to take him to town centre cinemas on Saturday afternoons," said Mr Caldwell.

"Shearer's Farm had poultry as well as pigs. There was also a stable where Mr Lowe kept his horse which pulled his greengrocery cart.

"We used to have the most enormous bonfires on the farm. One burned for three days and nights. To sit the guy on the top needed a long ladder.

"My grandfather, George Fowler, had a garden adjoining the farm. He had a relative at a fireworks factory in Huddersfield, and he managed to get plenty of fireworks, even during the war."

This picture taken of the boys, before 1942, appeared on the front of a magazine called Fireworks, sponsored by Pains Fireworks, and it has been sent to me by Mr Caldwell. It shows, on the front row, Geoff Monk, Bryan Caldwell, Arnold Harrison, Alfred Obersby and Bobby Leigh. The boy at the back was Gordon Shearer, but Mr Caldwell cannot name the others.

Incidentally, Mr Caldwell's father used to work at the Evening News, and wrote under the pseudonym "Olympian". I am sure many of you will remember him.

Should you wish to contact Mr Caldwell, his address is PO Box 23853, Claremont, Cape Town, 7735, South Africa.