WHEN David Clarke and his brother John decided to look for some long-lost friends they never dreamt they would find so many.Back in May the brothers, who grew up in Ipswich and now live in Dovercourt, came to the Evening Star with an old photograph and a few scant details.

By Victoria Knowles

WHEN David Clarke and his brother John decided to look for some long-lost friends they never dreamt they would find so many.

Back in May the brothers, who grew up in Ipswich and now live in Dovercourt, came to the Evening Star with an old photograph and a few scant details.

"We never thought it would be so successful," said 52-year-old David.

"When our mother died we decided it would be nice to find the people in this photograph," he added.

The brothers had been putting together a family history and needed a little help filling in the missing gaps.

The picture right below, shows their older brother Bryan, who sadly died when he was 18 in 1954 with his girlfriend Margaret and their two friends Bill Brown and Hazel Fayere.

Through the Evening Star's Finding Friends they managed to track down all three of the faces in the picture.

It was not long before the phone began ringing and all four of them met up in Felixstowe for a good old chat.

"It really was wonderful and the others brought lots of old photographs, some of our brother we had never seen before. It was lovely to hear stories about him and find out about what everyone had been up to. They were all members of the Salvation Army and after a meeting they would all come back to our house.

"It is so nice to have this new picture and know that we can keep in touch," said John.

The friends have all vowed to keep in contact and are really excited about meeting up again soon. With all three still living in Suffolk this should not be too difficult.

But the story did not end there. Now not only have they found Bill, Margaret and Hazel but they have also tracked down their old babysitter and some of their mother's old friends who they also plan to visit.

"We did not hold out much hope when we first started this and we have been totally amazed," said David.

If you recognise this picture and would like to get in touch please write to David Clarke, 68 Lee Road, Dovercourt, Harwich, Essex, CO12 3SG.