Sir.–I am an Australian man who befriended Tom Porter when he emigrated to Australia in 1959.

We became great mates with a common interest in motorcycle and speedway racing.

Tom returned to the UK and we corresponded for many years. His last known address was 45 North Street, London SW4. He last wrote on May 3, 1972, and advised that he, his wife and family were moving to Basingstoke to take residence in a council house.

This letter was lost for years and only discovered recently as we are cleaning up to move to Queensland.

Over the past 20 years, I have been searching for him and tried to locate him through telephone numbers without success.

My wife of 48 years, born in Filton, Bristol, and I have been to Britain three times since 1995 and all searches for Tom have been unsuccessful.

As Tom is a very gregarious person, it is possible that he may be well known. If you have any suggestions as to how I may locate him, or if he still resides in Basingstoke, I would appreciate the assistance of your readers.

–Stan Best, Queensland Australia