REGARDING your story about the rag and bone man 'Valderee' (LET, July 9), I knew him very well. As a coach driver, I used to give him many a free ride to Blackburn or Darwen. He was well known in Darwen as a rag tatter.

He pushed his truck all over the town, accompanied by his dog. Then he walked to Blackburn to weigh in the stuff he collected and then walked all the way back again.

He always carried a sabre under his macintosh. Why the police never stopped him, I don't know.

He later moved to Blackburn's Furthergate area. And on one occasion when I was taking a party of members of Furthergate Working Men's Club to York Races, there was a spare seat on the coach which I fixed for him to have.

Valderee came in his old clothes. We stopped at a pub in Yorkshire for a meal and he was given a free one. He played the mouth organ and got everyone singing and we had a great time.

At the racecourse, I gave him some money and he backed a winner. On the way back, we stopped at a pub on Ilkley Moor where he had another free meal and led another sing-song with his mouth organ.

He had a great outing -- two free meals, a day's racing and coming back with money in his pocket.

J HUGHES, Hollin Bridge Street, Blackburn.