Plaque at college would be fitting memorial to war hero

SIMON Bristow’s report (Yorkshire Post, October 8) on the issue of any special memorial for local Battle of Britain hero Ron Berry may give the impression that Hull City Council show a lack of interest in such matters.

As the Yorkshire representative of the Battle of Britain Historical Society, I have researched and worked with the council to recognise these men, and found lord mayors, councillors and officers very supportive.

Three locally-born veterans have had school memorial plaques presented by lord mayors and a further one to a Cottingham-born pilot who attended a Hull school. There are 14 born in the city and a further 13 in areas of the East Riding – one being my brother, Sgt Pilot Stanley Andrew, of Swanland who, like Ron Berry, attended Hull Technical College. One record also shows Ron Berry attended Riley High School and I was a pupil there during the war.

As our school memorial plaques are recognised as fine tributes to these men, it would seem appropriate to have one in Hull College which would be the successor to the schools attended by Ron Berry.

While the report rightly mentions streets named in Essex perhaps it is more appropriate to point out that Calderdale Council last year arranged for three of their “men of the battle” to be remembered on a new housing estate.

From: Coun Dale Smith, Lord Mayor of Bradford.

I SHOULD like to advise you that the Royal British Legion South & West Yorkshire are preparing to launch this year’s Poppy Appeal on October 26.

I am delighted to say that the launch will be held here in Bradford which will start at 10.30am in Centenary Square. I would like to warmly invite all members of the public to attend this very special event in the civic calendar. I am also writing to ask your readers for their continued support for the Poppy Appeal.

Last year the national Poppy Appeal exceeded all previous records and raised a staggering total of over £39.5m thanks to the generosity of the public and the invaluable support provided by many thousands of volunteers.

Since 1921 the Royal British Legion’s mission has been to help those members of the serving and ex-service community who needed it. Nearly 90 years on and the Legion continues to safeguard the welfare, interests and memory of those who are serving or who have served in the Armed Forces. The Poppy Appeal provides the main source of funds to maintain the Legion’s many welfare and benevolent schemes in which over 100,000 people are helped each year.

Once again, for this year’s Poppy Appeal, the Legion are focusing on their support for the Afghan generation of the Armed Forces family.

The Royal British Legion is continuing with its “Poppy People” campaign again this year to try to recruit desperately needed volunteers. Anyone aged over 16 can help, they only need to ring freephone 0800 085 5924.

Poppies are available to the public from hundreds of outlets in the Bradford Metropolitan District and I urge your readers to give as generously as they can.