JOHNNY Wall, the peg-legged cyclist, comes pedalling back over memory's horizon.

An unmistakable and hard-working old-time character from the Smithy Brew area of St Helens, he was noted for his corner-shop business enterprises and dedication to his Catholic faith.

And there was another side to his character, reveals his step-grandson Dennis. He says: "Johnny made his money as a shop owner but during the tough days between 1900 and 1920 he often wrote off the debts of the poor who obtained goods 'on the slate' (paying later for immediate necessities)".

Johnny's then eight-year-old son, Fred, mentioned in an earlier item on this page, was a familiar little newspaper seller at Victoria Square, St Helens, around 1920. And he turns out to have later become Dennis's step-father.

Big Fred, too, was a remarkable man, and died as recently as 1991, aged 79. A prisoner-of-war in Germany during the 1939-45 conflict, he was a Recs and Saints fan and a devout worshipper at both Holy Cross, St Helens, and St Mary's, Blackbrook.

MANY thanks for that additional family info, Dennis.