ON Monday, I printed a picture of Little Edith, a midget lady sitting on the knee of a sailor.

To view the photo, click HERE in our Looking Back Photogallery. The photo will open in a separate browser window. This screen will remain open at the same time.

It was sent to me by Mr John Watson, of Thornton Cleveleys, who did not know a great deal about Edith, but I asked if anyone had more information to contact me.

Mr Watson did say, however, that Edith was on a couple of occasions taken to his home in Halliwell by his aunt, Mrs Minnie Latham, who died in 1944 after being for some years the manageress of the Regent Cinema on Deane Road.

I have received a letter from Mr G. Smedley, of Portugal Street, Bolton, who writes: "I remember little Edith Barlow, who used to visit her uncle, Syd Wilkinson, who lived in Kirk Street, nearly every time the travelling fair came to Bolton. I think I am right in saying that she was accompanied by a Mr White.

"At the fair, Little Edith would sit in a marquee in a tiny house, sipping tea at a small table, as visitors paid to go and see her. She was then billed as the smallest woman in the world, either 21 inches or 23 inches tall.

"She would often visit our house in John Street, which was close to the Regent Cinema. My mother would make her little frocks, and Edith would often come along to the Regent with a few of the kids.

"She would sit in the circle, with her cigarette holder. I have often thought about her and also of the many kids who met her. If my memory serves me right, these memories are of around 1948 -- the manager at the cinema was a Mr Blackburn."