A RETIRED engineer has finally handed back the science book he “borrowed” from his school library more than 60 years ago.Michael Taylor, 78, cleared his conscience and ceremoniously gave up the book when he attended a reunion of old pupils at Woodbridge School.

A RETIRED engineer has finally handed back the science book he “borrowed” from his school library more than 60 years ago.

Michael Taylor, 78, cleared his conscience and ceremoniously gave up the book when he attended a reunion of old pupils at Woodbridge School.

Mr Taylor, of Sandy Lane, Woodbridge, was a pupil at Woodbridge School for eight years.

He was appointed librarian in his last term at the school in 1943 and he decided to take home a book as a reminder of his schooldays.

He admired the school crest on the first page with the motto Pro Deo Rege Patria (For God, King and Country) but Mr Taylor never read the rest of the book, called You and the Universe.

It lay at home gathering dust until he was painting his study this year and he came across the book hidden among his possessions.

He arrived at the Old Woodbridgians Society dinner last Saturday clutching the book and handed it over to Mike Weaver, president of the society, who generously let him off the £300-plus in unpaid fines.

Mr Taylor said: “I would not go as far as to say I had stolen it, it was borrowed because I liked the badge inside and I wanted it to remind me of my school days.

“I told Michael Weaver that it was my 70th anniversary of joining the school and I had this book I wanted to hand back. Everyone had a good laugh about it.”