The death of former BBC and ITN newsreader Peter Sissons has given added poignancy to this childhood snap taken on Douglas beach 68 years ago.

Peter was pictured with a class of excited pupils from Dovedale Junior School in Liverpool, which included two others who went to become household names - a young John Lennon and Jimmy Tarbuck - plus former Everton captain Brian Labone.

The picture was taken by their teacher Fred Bolt on a trip to the island in the summer of 1951.

Beatle-to-be Lennon is seen to the left with his arms extended, and Sissons to his left, while budding comedian Tarbuck is on the right striking a fistfighter’s pose.

Sissons, whose broadcasting career spanned 40 years, died at the age of 77 on Tuesday last week.

Another former pupil of Dovedale Junior School in the early 1950s was Anthony O’Leary, now 79, who recalled the school trip to the Isle of Man.

He said it was a bonding experience that cemented friendships among the boys.

Anthony said: ’I was good friends with Jimmy, but John and Peter were in the year below me.

’John was a friendly, happy boy. Jimmy was very boisterous but Peter was always quiet and well-mannered â?? a real gentleman, even at that age.’

Sissons was a familiar face for decades as a newsreader, joining ITN in 1964.

His first role as a news anchor came when he began presenting ITN’s News At One. He was the launch presenter of Channel 4 News and joined the BBC in 1989 as presenter of Question Time and the Six O’Clock News.

He moved to the Nine O’Clock News in 1994 and stayed with the programme until it moved to 10pm. He retired from broadcasting in 2009.