THE last time three former East Lancashire servicemen were together, the world was locked in the middle of the Cold War.

But almost 50 years on Bob Booth, John Chapman and Fred Limbert have been reunited thanks to the Lancashire Evening Telegraph's campaign to save the county's last remaining regiment.

The trio served in the first battalion mortar platoon of the former East Lancashire Regiment between 1954 and 1956, in Lneburg, Germany, before going their separate ways.

Bob, 71 and John 68, of Queensgate and Cog Lane, Burnley, remained in touch through meetings of the Burnley and Pendle branch of the Queens Lancashire Regiment, which was formed after the amalgamation of Lancashire's regiments in 1970.

However, Fred, 71, who used to live in Clitheroe and now in Fielding Lane, Oswaldtwistle, lost contact with his comrades.

When he saw a story featuring Bob collecting signatures, Fred, who was a plumber and a haulier after leaving the army contacted the Telegraph after contacting the Royal British Legion who were unable to help.

He said: "After phoning the British Legion I thought why not ring the Telegraph and that was it.

"We spoke on the phone and arranged to meet."

On Armistice Day the three met up to talk and joke about their army days which included border patrols near the Danish border.

Despite the seriousness of the time -- West Germany joined NATO, the Warsaw Pact was signed and hundreds of Hungarians were killed when demonstrating against Soviet rule -- the trio chatted about old times such as playing football, taking short cuts on cross-country runs and going for midnight swims in the sea.

John, who joined the regiment shortly after the others, joked how his comrades looked after him.

He said: "I was younger then the others and they used to look after me and show me which way to point the rifle." More than 2,000 readers have backed the Telegraph's campaign to save the QLR, launched the Government announced plans to merge regiments.

It is believed an agreement has been reached between the QLR and its North West neighbours -- The King's Regiment in Manchester and Liverpool and The King's Own Royal Borders in Cumbria -- which would see the retention of 'Lancashire' in the title.

And all three were in agreement the unique identity has to be retained.

Bob, who is chairman of the Burnley and Pendle branch of the QLR, said: "This is what the Lancashire regiment is all about, it's about the camaraderie.

"I went to school with a lot of the people I served with. I knew them all my life and that's important.

"If the regiment is disbanded you won't get that, with people from the other ends of the country serving with each other."

Fred added he intends to stay in touch with his friends.

He said: "When you live with each other for two years then suddenly you don't see them and go in to a new life its strange.

"It was like we had never being away and we will definitely keep in touch."