Saturday's Letters: One of the Few – and the finest of gentlemen

Our society has presented 20 Yorkshire schools plaques covering 27 men who served in the battle. Records show that 101 Battle of Britain

pilots and other aircrew were born in our county – West Yorkshire 36, North Yorkshire and Cleveland 25, East Riding and Hull 21 and 19 from South Yorkshire.

Another 17 attended schools in Yorkshire – 12 men who lost their lives and were buried here, including those from Australia, South Africa and Poland.

Two Auxiliary Fighter Squadrons were formed at Yeadon and Doncaster and named West Riding 609 and South Yorkshire 616.

This is a wonderful record of service in that historic period that helped to save Britain from invasion.

In this 70th anniversary year, we have obtained further sponsorship for more plaques and will be approaching a number of schools where we know their pupils went into fighter squadrons and were operational in the period of the battle.

For the record, I'm the brother of Sgt Pilot Stanley Andrew, who

served, and was killed, with 46 Squadron.

From: Mark Andrew, Manor Heath Road, Halifax.

From: Andrew Jeffrey, Chelwood Drive, Leeds.

I WAS delighted to read John Redhead's letter about James "Ginger" Lacey (Yorkshire Post, July 27) which accurately summarises his distinguished and brave role in the Battle of Britain.

I had the great privilege of getting to know Jim Lacey in his later years, when he lived contentedly in Bridlington, and have fond memories of sharing a drink or two with him in The Half Moon, on Prospect Street, which was his watering hole of choice.

He was the most affable of companions, and when in the mood, a spellbinding raconteur of those perilous days in the summer of 1940 when Britain could so easily have gone the way of Holland, France and Belgium were it not for young men like him.

Jim was a proud member of The Few, but there were other milestones in his career; he was one of the relatively few RAF pilots on operational duties on both the first and last days of the war, and a year after it ended was at the controls of the first Spitfire to fly over Japan.

He remained in the RAF until his retirement in 1967, and his love of flying endured for the rest of his life. He founded an air freight business and later worked as a flying instructor at Grindale Aerodrome,

near Bridlington.

We lost Jim Lacey on May 30 1989 at the age of 72. A plaque to his memory can be found in Bridlington's Priory Church. It is a fitting reminder of a very brave pilot who also happened to be the finest of gentlemen.

Weighing up the cost of Trident

From: Keith Hartley, Emeritus Professor, Department of Economics, University of York.

CHRISTOPHER Martin (Yorkshire Post, July 22) correctly highlights the need for the Trident replacement decision to be part of the Defence Review. Both Trident and the aircraft carrier programme need to be evaluated critically.

They raise questions about the costs of the UK's world military role. The costs of both programmes and others need to be identified, including an evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of alternatives such as cheaper land-based and air-borne nuclear deterrents and smaller

aircraft carriers.

The debate about Trident replacement needs reliable cost data. During the recent election, critics claimed that Trident replacement would cost some 100bn and that its cancellation would contribute

to "solving" the UK's budget deficit by 2014-15.

The reliability of the 100bn cost estimate needs to be questioned. More importantly, even if the cost estimate is accepted, cancellation of Trident replacement would not contribute to the present UK budget deficit.

Work on the building of the replacement submarines would not start before 2014-15 (by which date it is planned to have seriously reduced the budget deficit). Also, the total costs of Trident replacement will be spread over its estimated procurement and operational life of 40 years. Cancellation will produce savings over the period 2014-15 to 2055. Cancellation of Trident replacement does not offer an instant massive pot of gold which will solve the present UK budget deficit.

Power of the judiciary

From: David W Wright, Easingwold.

YET another example of the power of the judiciary over our elected government (Yorkshire Post, July 27) which again begs the question of who is running this country?

This time it is the important issue of deportation of foreign nationals who have been refused permission to stay, but a judge has declared that the Home Office policy is to be challenged on the grounds that the deportees are not able to launch legal challenges against their removal. All this means is that more time and money are being expended by the legal profession to line their already copious pockets.

It is also making a mockery of the Government's policies and authority, further exacerbating the accumulation of failed asylum seekers thus encouraging more to prolong their stay in the UK at the taxpayers' expense. It is time to withdraw from the human rights legislation.

From: Roger M Dobson, Ash Street, Cross Hills.

BEING one who has had the honour of serving for 15 years as a Justice of the Peace, I am reticent about criticising the sentences of our learned judges.

However, two cases have come to mind recently where I thought the sentences were totally inappropriate. The first one here in Yorkshire where a youth was only jailed for 18 months for perverting the course of justice, a sentence of which he will only serve four and a half months, a young man having died in the incident.

Secondly, jailing one of James Bulger's killers for just two years for having lewd images on his computer is again an insult to the Bulger family.

Crime will never be controlled until punishments really fit the crime.

Surprise when I saw school bully in courtroom

From: Dennis Bolton, Burley in Wharfedale.

BULLIES at school are nothing new. Your article (Yorkshire Post, July 27) on that subject cast my mind back nearly 80 years to when I was in a boys' only class in a private junior school.

The boy in question behaved quite properly in school but once we were let out into the grounds at playtime, he threw his weight about and bullied the boys into fighting and wrestling.

Complaints did not deter him. Many years later as a junior reporter on the Yorkshire Post, I used to report at the police and magistrates courts. One day I was sitting in the Press box waiting for a new case to begin when I was astonished to realise that the prison officer escorting the accused to the dock was none other than the bully boy of my school days.

I often wondered afterwards if his job in the prisons had changed his mentality.

From: Frank Pedley, Kirkby Fleetham, Northallerton.

I SHARE the concerns of Roger Crossley (Yorkshire Post, July 24) that we, the public, are afraid of our youngsters and have become resigned or disinterested in their routine anti-social behaviour. The breeding ground for this misbehaviour is in our supermarkets, where youngsters are allowed to run wild, screaming, demanding and shouting without any correction whatsoever from their parents.

These children are in total control, competing with each other in their antics and vocal expression. Even toddlers join in the fray.

They are often rewarded with bribes from their harassed parents and forced smiles from check out and other staff. It is not surprising that nursery and infant teachers have problems. I recognise that it would be difficult for any of the big supermarkets to take a solitary stance on this problem, for it would be dubbed as being "anti children", and that would not be good for business.

However, a start could be made if the supermarkets could display an agreed simple and pleasant notice urging parents to correct

misbehaviour. I believe that most parents would find such notices reassuring and supportive.

If there is merit in this suggestion, I wonder which organisation or quango might accept the simple task of arranging a co-ordinating meeting. After all, every little helps.

Speed question answered

From: Rev Neil McNicholas, St Hilda's, Parish, Whitby.

JAYNE Dowle answers her own rhetorical questions on speeding (Yorkshire Post, July 29).

If you divide the 100m taken in speeding fines by the 60 each individual pays, the result is the number of motorists who have been caught speeding despite the law and the cameras.

She states: "Speed cameras don't make us safer drivers, they make us more obedient ones." Well, apparently not when you do the maths. She herself admits to being fined not once, but twice.

I think it is perverse to fine motorists for driving three or four mph over the limit when you see the excessive speeds at which so many motorists drive, but where do you draw the line?

My own objection to speed cameras is that their distribution along our network of roads is taken by the authorities who put them there as an excuse for not employing police officers.

I think that if we saw more police cars parked by and cruising along our roads and motorways (as you do in the United States, for example), we would be more consistently reminded of the need to obey the rules of the road and this might then have a more generally calming effect on driving practices.

Empire beyond measurement

From: Don Burslam, Elm Road, Dewsbury Moor, Dewsbury.

DR K SWANN (Yorkshire Post, July 19) seems to have a touching faith in regional development agencies. These empire-building, self-promoting agencies were the brainchild of John Prescott which is almost, by definition, a criticism in itself.

I understand the new set up will be a partnership between local representatives, presumably councillors, and business leaders with direct access to government.

Of course, there is no guarantee it will work but at least those involved will be elected and more sharply focused on the needs of their patch than a more remote free-floating regional body.

It cannot be said too often that no bureaucrat at a desk can conjure up real jobs out of thin air. The best government can do is to try to stimulate activity by fiscal and other measures.

When all is said and done, how on earth can you assess the degree of success or failure in such a nebulous enterprise? I don't believe you can.

An old saw

From: Les Arnott, Athelstan Road, Sheffield.

EUROPEAN Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet has said "pessimism over the eurozone is overblown". In the words of Mandy Rice

Davies: "Well, he would say that, wouldn't he?"