FURTHER interest in Lionel Britton was stirred when the Advertiser recently ran a story about him.

Unfortunately a fair amount of the article had to be cut because of space restrictions, which was a pit as many people in the area may not realise just how significant the Thomas family were to Redditch.

It would probably not be too much to state that, without them, Redditch would be a village today.

This very talented family, who spoke French as readily as English, were the inspiration for Lionel Britton, a genius even if, as some would say, he was a mad genius.

I, and many more of the Thomas descendants, would like the help of the people of Redditch and Alcester in improving our knowledge of the family.

In return, Redditch and Alcester have the opportunity to re-connect with their own history while finding new friends around the world.

Robert Hughes.

snatch51@btopenworld.com