For a ten-year-old boy in 1928 it was just a welcome day off school to watch the then Duke and Duchess of York plant a piece of Royal history in Bradford.

But 70 years on Bill Watkins, now a sprightly 80, has joined a campaign to find out the whereabouts of two plaques attached to commemorative trees put up in King's Road, Bolton, that day.

Along with Bolton Ward Councillor Allan Hillary he hopes to persuade Bradford Council to replace the brass plates, if the originals do not turn up, in time for Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother's 100th birthday in the year 2000.

It was she and her husband, who was to become George VI, who lowered the trees into position at the crossroads with Queen's Road, watched by Mr Watkins and his Grange School classmates and hundreds of spectators.

Mr Watkins moved into his present home in 1958. It looks out on to the junction, and he still clearly remembers the day.

He said: "There was everybody there, the Lord Mayor, the Lord Lieutenant of the county, and hundreds of school children. Our brief was to be clean and brushed and polished up and have a little tu'ppenny flag to wave.

"As kids we were not really that interested in going but it was worth more than our lives not to do it. When the Duke and Duchess arrived there were just these big holes and they planted the trees in them."

"If I remember rightly there were some metal railings running all the way around the trees, which were put in later."

Mr Watkins said the plaques and railings disappeared in the mid-1970s but he had no idea how or why.

He added: "Surely the Council can spare a couple of hundred quid to get these plaques replaced for the Queen Mum's centenary."

Coun Hillary (Lib Dem) said as the millennium approached and the Queen Mother would be celebrating her 100th birthday it would be a fitting tribute from the city of Bradford to reinstate the plaques.

He added: "During their visit the Duke and Duchess also opened the Duke of York wing at the Bradford Royal Infirmary so it would be nice to remember that as well as it's the 50th anniversary of the NHS this year."

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