I READ with interest the article and picture of the brothers who celebrated becoming fathers on the same day (LET, August 20).

It could have been sub-titled 'History Repeats Itself', for on August 31, 1946, my father and uncle, George and Frank Hunt, celebrated a remarkably similar occurrence.

On that day, also at Queen's Park Hospital, first my sister Christine and I arrived, 55 minutes apart, then, approximately 50 minutes later, our cousin Clare was born. My mother and aunt, Elsie and Alice Hunt, occupied adjacent beds on the ward.

Sadly my father, uncle and aunt are no longer with us but, like my mother, I am sure they would have remembered clearly that eventful day, almost 51 years ago, and would be 'tickled pink' for Lee and Craig Longworth and their families.

However, I hope that is where the similarities end, because the good summer of 1946 was followed by one of the worst winters on record!

I send my best wishes to the new babies and parents and hope they derive as much pleasure from their special relationship as my sister, cousin and I have.

PAT COOK (MRS), Brownhill Road, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.