EMMETT Wayne left the open plains of Ohio at 19 - bound for a quiet country town nestled in the heart of Cheshire.

He was a young GI, handsome and very polite.

On his arrival in Knutsford in 1943 he was introduced to young women who acted as hostesses for the American soldiers stationed so far away from home.

Emmett met 17-year-old Mary and they attended dances at the Doughnut Dug Out - now the town hall - together.

"It was lovely for me because I enjoyed dancing and Emmett became a very good friend," said Mary Hewitt, now 71.

"But in the few years he was based here he always called me Ma'am. He was so polite."

The war ended and Emmett returned to Ohio, but before he went he asked Mary if she would write to his sister Wanda back home.

Mary agreed and 54 years later the letters are still being sent 6,000 miles across the Atlantic.

In these letters Wanda, now 75, often proudly mentions her brother Emmett.

But it wasn't until she sent clippings from a Cincinatti newspaper to Mary's Leigh Avenue home that Mary realised the specialist nature of his work.

"He always liked horses - everytime I see a picture of him he is with a horse," said Mary.

"But I was quite shocked

when I saw a piece praising his work in the newspaper - I never knew how well-known he was."

Emmett Wayne's gentle nature has led him to become a world specialist in training horses.

His methods accept that horses are individuals with a mind of their own that should be treated with respect.

Emmett told his local paper, the Cincinatti Enquirer, that firmness and kindness were the key - but was impressed with the authenticity of Redford's character in the film.

"You have got to be firm to get them around, make them see they are supposed to do this stuff," he said.

"The kindness comes in when you want to show them you're their pal.

"Rub their noses, pet them. They'll pick up on it, and you'll build a relationship."

Emmett, who trained horses for the Cincinatti Police Mounted Division, does not believe the often violent ways of breaking in a horse are needed.

"When they are mistreated they develop a fear of man," he said.

He said the only way to get horses to settle down was to prove that man would not hurt them again.

Emmett, who is married and lives in Green Township, Ohio, claimes to be able to correct certain horse problems in less than three hours.

But he told the Cincinatti newspaper that even he can't escape getting kicked and injured once in a while.

"It happens all the time, but I would never hit them back," he said.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Mary is eagerly waiting for the film to come to Knutsford's cinema after nearly finishing the book.

She believes her wartime friend is gifted.

"Apparently Emmett was always good with horses when he was a child," she said.

"Some people have a gift to communicate with animals and Emmett is one of those people."

The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans is available in Jardine's bookshop, King Street, Knutsford, priced £5.99.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.