A couple of long-lost pals have been reunited after more than half a century - thanks to a chance meeting in hospital.

Dennis Walker couldn't believe his eyes when old school friend Thomas Levitt took up the bed opposite him in St Luke's Hospital, Bradford.

And since their amazing chance reunion, the old schoolmates from the 1940s, have spent hours chatting about old times and wondering where the intervening years have gone.

Mr Walker, pictured left, said: "I was sitting on my bed and looked up to see Thomas sitting on his. I said to my lad, who was visiting me, 'I know that old fella'.

"It's a one in a million chance that we should be in opposite beds in hospital like this and it's been wonderful to see him again."

Mr Walker and Mr Levitt, both 74, were at Hutton Modern School, in Stoney Lane, Eccleshill, Bradford, before working together at T & H Harper's textile mill in Apperley Bridge.

The last time they were in each other's company, apart from one brief encounter on a bus, was when they went to Leeds to sign up for the Royal Navy in World War Two when they were 17.

From there they went their separate ways. Mr Walker sailed in the Russian convoys and Mr Levitt was land-based and repaired aircraft in the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland.

"It's been lovely catching up and we still have a lot more to do," said Mr Levitt, of Idle.

"There have been many times when I thought about getting in contact with Dennis but I never got round to it and as time goes on you're not sure it's the right thing to do."

Mr Walker, a widower, of Wrose, told how they had sat up late into the night, reminiscing about their school days.

"We used to pinch apples from a field by our school and sometimes the landowner would come out with his shotgun - we'd run for our lives," he said. "There's so much to talk about and the nurses have to tell us to go to bed at night because we're chatting away until gone 11.30pm."

Both men, who are in hospital with chest complaints, have lived, married and worked in Bradford and since the war had only briefly seen each other on the bus.

"I was a bus conductor and just had time to ask for his fare and say hello," said Mr Walker, who also worked as a garage storeman.

Now Mr Levitt has vowed to stay in contact with his old mate.

"I can't believe where all those years have gone and I'm not going to let it happen again," he said.

"It's made our stay in hospital very pleasant - there hasn't been a dull moment."