SAM Smith was the name of the popular newspaper seller whose "pitch" for many years was outside Worcester's Foregate Street station.

I included a photograph of him in a recent Memory Lane feature but said I couldn't remember his name, or anything about him.

However, this was swiftly rectified by many readers, who either rang, or wrote to identify this once-familiar figure on the Worcester street scene.

Those who were in touch included local historian John Hinton, former city policeman Ollie Barton, Arthur Cooper of Comer Road, Worcester, John Mudge of Camp Hill, Worcester, Walter Harris of Astwood Road, Worcester, Tony Tansell of Powick, LW Jones of Lower Broadheath, and Keith Clewer of Worcester, who in his youth played snooker against Sam at the British Legion Club.

"Sam's life seemed to revolve around his newspaper pitch in Foregate Street and the British Legion Club which was only a short distance away in St Nicholas Street," recalled Mr Clewer.

John Hinton tells me that Sam was perhaps best-known for his prowess at billiards and snooker, frequently playing for the Royal British Legion.

Arthur Cooper also remembered Sam as having a large-sized brother, who was nicknamed "Tiny" Smith and who went around auction halls in the county.

Sylvia Harbourne of Malvern was also in touch regarding the item in the same Memory Lane feature about Elsie Wood, known as The Lady in White.

"I remember following her up The Tything when I was returning home from the Girls' Grammar School at Barbourne, in the 1950s - what an apparition!

"We were studying Dickens' Great Expectations in English Literature at the time and as most of the class had seen her, we had a good discussion. We all felt we knew a real-life Miss Haversham."