Unfortunate end of air ace

I FEEL obliged to correct Malcolm Barker’s statement that Guy Gibson VC was shot down over Germany in September 1944 (Yorkshire Post, May 16), when the truth, while no less tragic, is far more mundane – he ran out of fuel and crashed.

He was flying with a co-pilot over Holland and, getting low on fuel, tried unsuccessfully to locate the switch to access the reserve tank on his aircraft. However, he was flying a Canadian-built Mosquito of slightly different specification to those built in the UK. and had spurned an offer from the ground crew to brief him on the differences before they took off, with the unfortunate outcome that history records.

Safety gap

From: Eamonn Ward, Sheffield Green Party, Eskdale Road, Sheffield.

IT seems to take tragedy to wake us up. It took more than 1,100 deaths in the Bangladesh factory collapse to remind us that £4 tops are not made in factories with decent pay, conditions and safety.

It is encouraging that H&M, Primark and others have signed up to the legally binding Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Agreement. But, as I write, Gap and Walmart (Asda) have not.

Minnie mix-up

From: Paul Morley, Long Preston, Skipton.

I DON’T suppose the lovely actress Minnie Driver will be too impressed to be mixed up with the OAP character Minnie Cauldwell in your article about the Rover’s Return (Yorkshire Post, May 17).

Rubbish fury

From: Andrew Mercer, Guiseley.

THE most disturbing aspect about reports Pudsey residents have not had their bins emptied for three weeks by Leeds Council is that no one at the authority seems to care – apart from when it comes to chasing up council tax payments.