ST HELENS born David Webster has been in touch with me from his home in Gloucester.

“Hello again Chris,” writes David, of Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham and once of Prescot Road St Helens. He was born in Nurse Pye's Nursing Home, now the Guest House, at the Toll Bar.

“Here’s another picture to jog memories. It was taken in the mid 1950s outside the Appleton and Howard factory in Salisbury Street.

“I was at the time the youngest apprentice. Brian Keeley, pictured in the centre of the group, had until then been The Can Lad and I replaced him. Duties included making cans of tea and going to Mercers and Sayers' in Church Street for pies and cakes and at lunchtimes to the chip shop in George Street. The duties lasted for a year until a new apprentice was taken on.

“Salisbury Street was opposite the Raven Hotel. The factory is now buried under the B&M store in the shopping centre. The street consisted of Dickie Heyes’ paper shop on the corner, then Mrs Grimshaw’s lodging house (6d per night) and you slept sitting on a bench leaning on a rope tied across the room, at least that was they said! The smell if the door was open when you walked past lives in the memory to this day.

“Next to Appleton and Howard was the Salvation Army Hostel, a better class of accommodation,and the source of a very good cooked lunch at a good price. Across Lead Street was Holman Mitchell brass and lead works and at the bottom of the street where it joined Foundry Street was the abattoir.

“I cannot remember the names of everyone in the photo but Star readers may recognize relatives.

“From the left are: Harold Howard from Newton-le-Willows, Wilf Collins, who later became manager of UGB Sherdley, the next person I can’t recall but he was a pattern maker, Harry Jennion became a salesman for Ford dealers in Windle and then Widnes, Brian Keeley from Nutgove, next along I can’t put a name to but he was a turner, then Billy Pye, who played football for Chester and later owned nurseries at Southport, Jack Hare from Rainford and Peter Dyer from the Napier Street and Peter Street area.

“Pete had a lot of children and when I first started there Saturday morning was part of the working week, and his kids would roll up at the door asking for money to go to the pictures. One day the police came to the factory. It seemed the eldest had paid and gone in to the cinema, then gone to the toilet, opened the window, and was helping the others through when they were caught. Pete’s instructions were 'don't get caught next time'.

“Besides being manufacturers of pumps and valves, we also did work for Silcock’s Fair and many are the pieces of fairground rides that were pushed up that step and through those doors, and we often benefited from free rides when the fair was in town."