THIS nostalgic montage of pictures of Boys - and Girls - in Blue comes from the heyday and, alas, final years of the Worcester City Police Force.

The photographs belong to Walter Lawrence of Prestwich Avenue, Worcester, who spent 28 years in the police service locally and was later chief security officer to Royal Worcester Spode.

He was in touch after my recent piece looking back fondly at the days when I used to do the daily "police calls" and also attend magistrates courts at the now, sadly, closed City Police Station in Deansway.

Walter correctly thought I, and readers, would be interested in some of the photographs he cherishes from his days in the City Police Force. Most of the photos were no doubt taken by police photographer Bill Wood.

Walter was born in Malvern, and attended Hanley Castle Grammar School until his parents moved to Worcester and he transferred to the Royal Grammar School. His first job was on the staff of the railway company at Shrub Hill for two years, but he then joined the Fleet Air Arm for what was to be more than four years of war service.

He was initially a telegraphist/air gunner but was later re-called for pilot training - something he had "put down" for from the start. He went to Canada to train, gained his wings and began flying Seafires - the naval equivalent of Spitfires.

Walter, commissioned as a Sub Lt, was posted to Ceylon, to join a squadron poised to take part in the invasion of Rangoon under Lord Louis Mountbatten.

However, before they took to the skies, the Americans dropped their atom bombs on Japan and brought the war to an end.

The effect was that Walter never saw action against the enemy as a pilot, though he recalls that he was "ready for it". He spent the following 12 months in Ceylon before his Naval service came to an end.

He returned to the railway company at Worcester, but decided on a big career change in 1949, when he joined the City Police Force. He was in the motor patrol section for about four years and then spent a similar period in CID as a detective constable and then detective sergeant. After that, he was in admin as deputy chief clerk to the Chief Constable and was also in charge of the police launch on the Severn, used in rescues and to recover drowning victims.

When the City Force was merged in 1967, into the West Mercia Constabulary, Walter re-trained in crime prevention and, with the rank of detective sergeant, became crime prevention officer for the area, a post which kept him in constant touch with the public and with local companies and also involved giving advisory talks.

He retired from the police in 1977, having "thoroughly enjoyed" his 28 years of service. Next came 10 years as chief security officer to Royal Worcester Spode, a job which also involved travelling to the company's outlets around Britain, such as Harrods in London, and even to those in America and Canada to advise on security.

Since retiring in 1987, Walter and his wife Joan have travelled widely around Europe in their motor home. Son Clive is an antiques dealer while their daughter, Mrs Jennifer Murray, is manager of the Charles Hastings Post Graduate Medical Training Centre in Worcester, which also houses the George Marshall Medical Museum.

One of Walter's hobbies in life was rearing budgerigars and for three years he was national champion breeder of clear wing budgerigars.