A PENSIONER who used to go to school with the infamous Tommy Thompson -- better known to locals as Val De Ree -- has shed a bit more light on the rag and bone man.

Jimmy Sandam, 76, of Mayfield Flats, Darwen was educated at Sudell High School at the same time as Tommy.

Jimmy said: "We were about the same age but he was never at school. He used to do his own thing and was a real character, which is why everybody knew him."

Tommy used to live at Robin Bank, Darwen, although Jimmy says he moved on from there when he went to serve in the Royal Navy in the Second World War.

Jimmy recalls: "It was around 1942 when he left Darwen. The place seemed different without him wandering around Darwen."