A man is searching for the long-lost pals he grew up with in Clerkenwell during the war.

Kenneth Chance lived in Wynyatt Street from 1942 until 1962, when he got married and left the area.

He now lives in Essex, but is hoping to track down the friends with whom he lost touch “many moons ago”.

He told the Gazette: “We had some good times in spite of the war, but there were also some very dark days – for example, when the V1 Flying Bomb demolished Spencer Street on a Sunday morning at 6am, either in late 1944 or early 1945.

“It is highly likely my old mates are no longer around, but if they are I’d love to say ‘hi’ once more.”

Kenneth has enclosed the above picture in the hope of tracking down Lennie Edwards, Pat McNamara, and another friend he knew only as Roy.

“I know it is a very long shot, but it is about the last chance of linking up with these lost mates,” he said.