Sir, – Thank you for bringing back some memories with the photograph of rehearsals for Babes in the Wood in 1956 in Arminta Wallace's "The Times We Lived In" (January 17th).
I am the unidentified and somewhat camera-shy toddler in question, safely held in my father Jack Cruise's arms. As noted, Sean Mooney, the well-known Dublin baritone, is on the left of picture. The character on the right is indeed Frank Howard but not the Frankie Howerd of Up Pompeii and "titter ye not" fame. This Frank Howard was born in England in the late years of the 19th century and came to Ireland as part of Fred Karno's Company in the 1920s. The most famous product of the Karno Troupe was Charlie Chaplin, who went on to America and greater things. Frank remained working in Ireland after Karno returned to England. He performed in the Queen's Theatre in the 1930s and was a member of the Happy Gang, a group of entertainers which included such great Dublin entertainers as Cecil Sheridan, Danny Cummins and Cecil Nash. – Yours, etc,
GERARD CRUISE,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.