DURING one week in October 1941, the people of Bolton raised an amazing £1 million to pay for the building of Second World War ship HMS Dido.

And on board the British cruiser from its launch to the day she accepted the surrender of the German Fleet in Copenhagen was Eric Jeffs, originally from Widnes, now living in Wigan.

For the past three years, Mr Jeffs has been penning his memories of his years on board the ship, which the town adopted.

His book has now just been published - HMS Dido: A Tiffys Tale.

The first-time-author was invited to a special reception with the deputy mayor, Cllr John Walsh, which was attended by ex-serviceman from the Royal Naval Association and Mr Jeffs' wife Catherine.

Mr Jeff served on the ship from 1940 to 1946 as a Tiffy, officially an Engine Room Artificer or ERA. He was urged to document his experiences by Cllr Walsh while he was mayor.

During her time as a warship, the Dido took part in the evacuation of Crete, the Malta convoys, the North African landings, the invasion of Sicily and Italy, Russian convoys and Norway operations.

The ship accepted the surrender of the German Fleet and, just a few months after the end of the war, she took King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to the Isle of Man.

Mr Jeffs said: "HMS Dido is a very special ship, it was my home for many years and took me everywhere.He added: "It was very important for me to write this book so everyone can know about the part HMS Dido played in the Second World War. It is a part of Boltons history."

With his wife's help, Mr Jeffs penned the book from memories with the help of a few old newspaper cuttings.

"Apart from covering my costs, I want all proceeds from the book to go Bolton Hospital children's ward. If I sell 3,000 books, I can raise up to £4,000 for hospital."

Cllr Walsh said: "Memories such as Erics need to be recorded, they are a part of our history. This book is a testament to the generosity of the people of Bolton during the war years."

HMS Dido was finally scrapped in 1958.

l HMS Dido - A Tiffy's Tale is published by Arthur Stockwell and is on sale for £9.99, at Sweetens Bookshop, and available from the Amazon website.