THE years rolled away for Jack South when he returned to his boyhood haunts in Ludlow after more than 80 years away.

Jack was brought back to south Shropshire by his family as a 92nd birthday treat and spent three nostalgic days recalling days of long ago.

He was just 10 years old when he left his home in Caynham but although he had never returned in the intervening years, Jack was keen to “come and take another look”.

He was born in the kitchen of the huntsman’s cottage in Cayn-ham, where his father Claude was head of the Ludlow Hunt.

Exactly 92 years after that day, Jack and his family were back in the room where he first entered the world on a spring day in 1917.

David Finlay, who now lives in the house with his partner, showed them around and also presented Jack with a Ludlow Hunt tie.

The visit also included the hunt kennels, where Jack met the hounds – some of which were direct descendents of the dogs that he used to know as a boy.

Jack came to Ludlow for the journey down memory lane with his daughter Mary Prosser and son Colin, together with their respective husband and wife. First stop was The Feathers Hotel before making a visit to Cayn-ham, where Jack visited his former school and Caynham Village Hall.

“He remembered the village hall well and especially the porch where the girls used to show their knickers before running away,” said Mary.

The highlight of the whole adventure was the visit to the Huntsman’s Cottage.

“It was very nostalgic and Dad remembered it well, although the cottage had been extended since he was there,” said Mary.

Another memory jogger was a trip to Clee Hill, where Jack used to regularly ride as a boy.

Jack and his family left Cayn-ham in 1927 to live in North-amptonshire, where his father worked with the hunt before starting a career in the grain trade.

This was a business that Jack subsequently joined and worked in until just three months ago, establishing himself as a leading buyer of malting grain for the Scottish whisky industry.

During the war, he did secret work involved with the manufacture of torpedoes and lost much of his hearing in an accident when a torpedo engine exploded.

Jack’s first wife died in the 1970s. Colin and Mary were born in 1947 and 1953 and he has four grandchildren and a great-grandson.

The visit was finished off with a tour of Ludlow including the castle.

“Dad really enjoyed himself and would like to come back again. He was tired at the end but says he wants to come back again,” added Mary.