Bolton Wanderers are riding on the crest of a wave. But, back in 1939 their wartime counterparts put football aside to fight en masse in the Second World War. Tomorrow, a new book is launched in Bolton, Wartime Wanderers recounts these exploits, and previews a film of the story to be made soon. Tonight and for the next three nights, we feature excerpts from the book. And here Angela Kelly explains how the Wanderers' exploits are about to be revealed to the nation. THE pages unfold publicly this week on the saga of the Wartime Wanderers and the remarkable story of how one football team went to war.

Tomorrow, at Burnden Park, the book is officially launched at an invitation-only glitzy event when stars of the forthcoming film - to be shot next year - are expected to attend.

Actors in town then include teen hearthrob Sean Maguire, who will play the young Nat Lofthouse. And there will be former Spandau Ballet lead singer Tony Hadley, chart-topping ex-choirboy-turned-actor Aled Jones and comedian Bradley Walsh who are also cast as members of the wartime team which enrolled en masse to fight the Germans.

The launch of the book will be a special day for Mike Gething, a life-long Wanderers' supporter. Born and bred in Bolton, he always wanted to write the story of his home team's wartime efforts.

Now a London-based record producer, he got together with writer/producer Tim Purcell who felt the heartwarming story would also make a terrific film. The two combined their talents to create the book, and the screenplay has been written by Tim and another writer, Roger Samuels.

It is the story of the Wanderers' team in 1939 which, led by the captain Harry Goslin, marched to the local Territorial Army drill hall to sign up to fight, inspiring many other Boltonians to do the same. For the next six years, as gunners in the 53rd Field Regiment of the Bolton Artillery, they faced some of the heaviest fighting of the Second World War, in France, North Africa and Italy.

Not surprisingly, they also established themselves as a formidable regimental football team.

The charismatic squad was full of stars like Ray Westwood, and the film will focus on their lives, and that of young Nat Lofthouse who went on to become a legend in his own lifetime.

Nat will be at tomorrow's reception, along with an array of guests which includes footballers from today and yesterday.

One of only a couple of surviving Wartime Wanderers - Jack Hurst - will travel back up to Bolton from his Middlesex home.

Jack is 82 now, but still a Wanderers' supporter. "I always follow them," he explained, "and people are always saying to me at the moment 'well, Jack, what about Bolton then!'"

He still has three nieces living in the Bolton area, but seldom has the chance to return to his home town. So, Jack is looking forward to coming back and meeting up with familiar faces like Nat, and Stan Hanson's widow, May, who is also going to the launch.

He hasn't seen the book, but says he is "delighted" about this public sharing of their story, and about the film. "But it's a good job they're not going to ask me to speak in it!" he laughed.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.