WHEN Robert Hope bought a copy of Bolton author Bill Naughton's book Neither Use Nor Ornament, he was struck by a photograph in the frontispiece of the author and five of his friends, taken in Bolton in 1928.

"I was astonished when I saw the face of the person, at the back, second from left. He could easily have been my double at the same age. Other members of my family are equally astonished," he says.

"The resemblance is so marked that we clearly have some common ancestry, and would love to discover the link".

So Mr Hope contacted the Bolton Local Studies department, where there is an archive specially about Bill Naughton.

He explained that he was brought up in Bolton, but left at the age of 16, and, apart from occasional visits, hasn't spent much time here since. He also came across the Naughton Archive website while researching his family history.

However, although the archives naturally had a copy of the book which included the picture, they knew no more about it, and suggested that we at the Evening News might be able to help.

Mr Hope then contacted us, and the photograph in question is printed here, with the hope that someone will be able to identify those who are on it (Bill Naughton is standing on the far right). If you can help, Mr Hope lives at 75 Gainsborough Drive, Ascot, Berks., SL5 8TA (e-mail: rhope@btinternet.com).

Incidentally, the Naughton Archive is open to the public for research, and the most recent publication, Voices from a Journal, is available in bookshops.