A RETIRED teacher was the speaker at the latest meeting of Keighley Men's Forum.

Janice Peddar spoke about The Caves of Gibraltar.

She described how, in the early 20th century, Neanderthal bone fragments from a juvenile were located on the 'rock' and later shipped to the British Museum.

"It seems that the Neanderthals lived in the area some 24,000 years ago and that a hearth in the rock had been in use for around 8,000 years," said a spokesperson.

During the Second World War, British forces developed the caves and tunnels in the rock – building a hospital and storage facilities for munitions and food. The food attracted rats, but cats were imported to solve the problem!

Thanks were expressed by stand-in president Roger Moody.