Remember When? reader Eric Brook has contacted us with fond memories of life in the CLB – the Church Lads Brigade – during the Second World War.

He wonders if anyone else remembers the organisation from that time.

Eric, who now lives in Anglesey, writes of an incident that took place in 1943, when he was 13: “I was a member of the CLB in Lidget Green. One Thursday evening, my friend Roy called and invited me to enrol in the Boys’ Brigade. This sounded a good idea as the uniform was superior to that of the CLB.

“‘Follow me’, said Roy as we mounted our bicycles, and as we sped at a fast pace down a steep hill, Roy, without warning, made a sharp left turn.

“Unfortunately, I failed to negotiate the bend, causing my front wheel to hit the high pavement. The bike stopped dead, but I did not – I sailed head first against the iron railings that surrounded a building. My forehead impacted on a vertical piece of said railing.

“As I slowly opened my eyes and sat up. I was met by an unbelievable sight – gold and silver curtains were draped around the room, Roman soldiers with spears and shields were lined up against the wall and a chariot with shiny wheel blades hung from the ceiling. No humans in sight. ‘Was this heaven?’ I asked myself.

Alas no, this was a disused chapel now acting as a storage depot. A huge board proclaimed it to be The Scenic Display Company’s collection of properties for the theatres of Bradford.

“A well-proportioned policeman appeared and escorted me to a police box – very similar to the Tardis in Doctor Who, and I was cleaned up. Roy cycled home to explain to my mother what had happened, an ambulance was called for and I was whisked away to Bradford Royal Infirmary.

“I received seven stitches in my forehead. coincidently my mother had a similar scar received when, having put my sister and me on the tram to school, she inadvertently walked behind the tram and was knocked down by the family doctor! I never did join the Boys’ Brigade, but in 1948 I was the proud wearer of an RAF uniform.

“I remained in hospital for one night. My next stay in a hospital wasn’t until 2011, for two nights.”

Anyone with memories of the Church Lads Brigade in Bradford is asked to contact Eric at Eric.Brook1@btinternet.com.