Readers' letters - July 11

In May 1940, I was age 11 and Winston Churchill was Prime Minister. An incendiary bomb fell on our roof and was swiftly dealt with by an ARP Warden.

Next day my parents fled to Southport with me. I enjoyed our new home in one room in a boarding house near the sea with no school for a year, and mum flourished with no house to dust.

On December 22 that year, there was a frightening noise and hammering on the door, which, when opened, revealed an ARP Warden ordering “Leave everything – follow me”.

Dutifully we hurried out and saw a ghostly white outline of a parachute, with a landmine dangling, caught in a tree. We were bussed to a school hall and given tea with bread and margarine, and a chair for the night. Fun for me, children to play with.

Next day we were taken to a posh hotel on Lord Street for a wonderful Christmas dinner with presents, Santa, and crackers. Unforgettable, but quite soon we were able to return to our own home and school.

A leaflet from that time, sent to every household in Britain, was issued by the Ministry of Information and the War Office. Beating the Invader, signed by Winnie himself, explains how to proceed should enemy troops land on these islands. The message is similar to Nelson’s “England Expects”, telling us to “Stand Firm and Carry On”.

I fear that there is now no statesperson of this calibre, and, even if there were, it is unlikely that everyone would obey orders.

Duty is a word seldom heard nowadays. We hear much of ‘human rights’ but never ‘human wrongs’. We live in the ‘me’ generation. I am proud to have belonged to the bulldog generation, but those days are sadly over.

Mrs M W Whitaker

Address supplied

Poor record, poor Brexit?

On this Sunday’s The Andrew Marr Show (July 9), David Lidington, the Minister of Justice, gallantly defended his boss Theresa May against possible attacks on her leadership.

One of the topics covered was the current terrible state of the prison service.

He deftly side-stepped questions on the impact of the savage staffing cuts of officers since 2010.

What was not mentioned by him or the interviewer was the fact that the Prime Minister, in her six-year tenure as Home Secretary, had overall responsibility for this service.

Her failure was surely on a par with her claim to reduce the immigration figures to the tens of thousands.

What chance for a good Brexit from her with that record?

Denis Lee

Address supplied

Oppression of creativity

Re: Stop it! Warning to illegal fly-posters (WP July 9).

These are normal in cities everywhere.

It’s a sign a of a flourishing economy. They alert people to cultural events to create business and interest.

Why not solve more pressing problems of derelict buildings and litter first ?

Why not contribute by planting flower seeds to brighten the place up?

The oppression of creativity, from obsessive school uniform conformity onwards, works against this society in every way.

Miles Bellas

via Facebook

Don’t blame

the children

If four out of every 10 primary school children fail to meet Government standards in such basic subjects as reading, writing and arithmetic, clearly that is a damning indictment on the quality of the teachers, not of the children.

SATs are the only available way of testing how well schools and teachers are performing.

But teachers’ unions and misguided individual teachers are busily trying to shift the blame on to the kids.

How very noble of

them!

Hugh Rogers

Address supplied