Readers help to solve woman’s conundrum

Elaine Ansell, 68, of Ophir Road, Worthing, found the short message, “Work completed by Lew and Knocker, Nov 1963” in the concrete and was intrigued to discover who the duo were.

Featuring in the Herald in December, readers got in touch to help solve the riddle.

And it was ‘Knocker’ himself who phoned-in, revealing himself as former builder Alan White, of Long Meadow, Findon Valley.

He said: “We usually put something up there, like an initial but it was most unusual that we put that up there.

“I don’t remember doing it and it was my wife who spotted the story in the paper, so it surprised me to see it in there.”

Mr White believed ‘Lew’ was Lou Hall but he was no longer in contact with him.

They worked on the Ophir Road development under firm CD Broad.

Mr White said: “Lou Hall worked on the site at the same time as me, so it’s possible that was who the other one was but I’m not totally sure.”

Another reader, Tony Ranger, thought ‘Lew’ related to Norman Lewington.

But Mr White had not heard of this name.

Mrs Ansell said she was delighted to get an answer to her appeal.

She said: “It’s nice to hear back and very nice for Knocker himself to respond. I wish him well and thank readers of the Herald for their help.”