We have wonderful childhood memories of Selwyn Williams to share today.

Selwyn got in touch after reading Geoff Pritchard's article on children's author Gilbert Dalton in last Tuesday’s Echo.

It was a little known fact that Dalton, a prolific author of mainly adventure stories with modern and historical themes, lived in Weymouth.

Selwyn tells us: "Growing up in the 50s and 60s we used to play in the unmade up lane between Wyke Road and Faircross Avenue climbing the trees on both sides before the three houses were built on one side and the road was tarmaced.

"We used to scrump apples and other fruit from nearby allotments and also from St Michael’s House. This house and its grounds lay on one side of the lane and had a high (to us) metal fence and hedge running around its perimeter so the easiest way we could get into their grounds was to climb an adjacent tree and fall into the hedge within.

"As well as the fruit trees in the neatly laid out gardens there was a tennis court and we had to make sure the gardener wasn’t in there.

"One early evening we were climbing back out and a man called out and we were beckoned to the new middle house across the lane, in those days kids obeyed authority whatever form it took.

"The man was leaning out of his upper window and explained that we were taking apples etc from the nurses who worked at Portwey Hospital and lived in St Michael’s House and we shouldn’t do it.

"Duly admonished he then threw down several copies of comics to us. The man was of course Mr Dalton and we often heard him typing away in his upstairs room.

"I was not allowed the Beano or Dandy but was allowed the more grown up Rover comic which had more text and one of my favourite serials was one about Matt Braddock VC and his crew of a WW2 bomber (not a fighter as Geoff said).

"When doing my paper round I read all the other comics I had to deliver and I remember Alf Tupper, who would run miles to a race meeting after a hard day's work then beat the opponents even though he had no spikes.

"It was lovely to read Geoff's reminiscences and tie the nice man and the stories I read in the comics. I wonder if we ever featured in his stories."

Thanks also to Peter Foster of Dorchester for getting in touch.

Peter said that reading about Gilbert Dalton's time in Weymouth made him think of the BBC Radio Children’s Hour, particularly in the 1950s and the early 1960s.

Peter writes: "There was a regular series of plays entitled ‘Charter Pilot’, written by Gilbert Dalton. They were produced by the BBC Midlands Children’s Hour and broadcast from Birmingham. I would listen in to Charter Pilot relayed on the BBC West of England Home Service."