A FORMER American airman has asked the Citizen to help him trace a dear friend he met in a Chorley pub during the Second World War.

Jacob Elias desperately wants to contact Betty Forshaw, whom, the last he heard, had married and moved to Glasgow.

And Jacob, who penned a novel about his experiences as a gunner on a bomber, says he would like to donate a copy of his book to Chorley Library.

Jacob contacted the Citizen from his home in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania and told us that Betty had lived in Railway Road, in Chorley.

He said: "It was in February or March of 1944 when 10 of us were posted to the small post in the middle of Chorley. We were supposed to be sent back to the US to train as flyers in the US Army Air Corps. For about four weeks we sat there, waiting for transport to the US.

"During that time we were able to get out to visit the town and people of Chorley. All of us were treated with warmth and respect, even though we were all hardly into our manhood. Somehow or other we found the Queen's Arms and went there whenever we could.

"There I met Betty Forshaw, a pretty lass of sixteen. Betty and I clicked and we saw each other as much as possible."

Shortly after Jacob returned to his unit, the 44th Bomb Group, based in Shipdham, Norfolk.

He said: "Betty and I corresponded frequently. We were not in love, but felt close to each other. I managed to come and visit with her and her parents one time when I was sent to a rest home for flyers in Pangbourne, near Reading. After that, we only corresponded."

Jacob returned to the US when he finished his duty as a gunner in a B-24, in January of 1945.

Her said: "I continued writing to Betty. She was a fire warden, and working for a shop. Her parents were fine people who knew she could be trusted with me, even though she was still a child. They welcomed me whenever I came to visit and wrote to me when I returned to the States.

"My memories of the brief time I had Betty for a friend often come to mind and give me much pleasure. I will never forget her and the joy I had in her company."

Jacob said he has returned to England to visit friends in Norfolk every year for the past 25 years. He said: "I can never forget the warmth with which I was welcomed during the War, sharing some of their rations. Our cooks were always generous to us and gave us tea and coffee to give to our hosts. When almost all of them died, I felt as though I lost part of my family."

Jacob's novel is entitled War And Women. He said: "If the library in Chorley would like a copy, I would be glad to donate one.

"Chorley will always be a town fondly remembered by me. I hope one day to return to visit the great people I met there."

If anyone has any information about Betty, they can contact the Chorley Citizen on 01257 269313.

Regarding the novel, Chorley Library said it would gladly accept a donation from Jacob.

Divisional librarian Denis Whitham said: "We are always grateful for donations of this nature and will find it very useful, and we are happy for him to send it to us."