THE story headlined, 'Crater Concert marks centenary of Great War' August 13, included remarks made by Mark Purdy, leader of folk group Harp and Monkey, who is a Great War historian and has worked on BBC's 'Who Do You Think you Are?'

He said that the crater besides Peel Tower, where his concert is to be held this Sunday, was created by a Zeppelin bomb in September 1916.

I don't know where Mr Purdy has done his research, but the excellent archives of Local History in Bury Library clearly state that Peel Tower was built from local stone quarried 'close to its base' or from another article, 'on the spot'.

There was a Zeppelin raid on the area and the Ramsbottom Observer of September 29, 1916, describes the incident, 'when six bombs were dropped in Holcombe Village, resulting in two slight cases of cuts from breaking glass when windows were blown out if cottages on Printers Row. The church clock was badly damaged and Holcombe School suffered somewhat at the gable side. Three bombs dropped in pastureland making holes eighteen feet deep. A fourth bomb fell in the roadside close to the village Post Office which suffered considerable damage. It was nothing short of a miracle that there were only two slight cases and so little damage to property.'

I trust the concert on Sunday August 23 was a success in the quarry. It would have been more appropriate to have held it in Holcombe Village, where the real action took place.

Stuart Birtwell

Ramsbottom