A CHANCE meeting at Burnley's market hall led to a happy reunion for two old pals.
John Waddington, 91, and Cyril Wilkinson, 92, had not seen each other for more than 30 years after losing touch when they retired from their jobs as bus drivers in the town.
But the old friends, who started work at Burnley's Queensgate depot at the tender age of 16 in 1928, hooked up once more after running into one another in town and now meet up twice a week for a drink and a chat.
John, of Padiham Road, and Cyril, of Booth Court, started work as shed lads collecting coke from the town's old blacksmiths, now the police station in Parker Lane, for the town's trams.
After two years they graduated to become conductors and then bus drivers for the then Burnley, Colne and Nelson Joint Transport Committee.
In 1939 both men were called up to fight in the Second World War, but returned to work in 1946. They remained as drivers working from the depot until they retired in 1970 after 42 years service, when they lost touch.
The two friends were yesterday invited back to the depot on Colne Road for a tour around, 75 years after they first walked through the doors as teenagers.
They were driven to the depot in a vintage Austin 7 saloon refitted at the East Lancashire United depot in Blackburn.
Both men were given a guided tour of the bus garage and shown the inside of one of the company's new buses.
John said: "I was really pleased to be invited back. It's amazing to see how much things have changed since my time. Everything about the buses is completely different, but they look absolutely marvellous.
"When I was a lad it was our job to collect the coke for the old trams and although it was hard work, we both had a fantastic time. Every night we used to gather round a big old coal fire in the shed and tell tales and show each other magic tricks."
He added: "It was a real shame when me and Cyril lost touch because we worked together for so long and it was a really pleasant surprise when I saw him at the market.
"As soon as I spotted him I knew who it was and called out his name. We are firm friends now and meet up twice a week for a chat about the old times working on the buses."
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