I WAS very pleased with the recent serialisation of the diary of my uncle, Gunner George James, in Echo Memories and would like to thank everyone for their kind comments.

In particular, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Chris Lloyd for his interpretation and presentation.

George was a remarkable young man, much loved by his father and brothers. The death of his 18-year-old brother, John, at the Dardanelles in October 1915 was a blow to all the family; George’s death only nine months later also caused much grief.

George is buried in Maricourt military cemetery, quite near to where he was killed on the Somme – a very peaceful spot. His diary is in a very fragile state. It was found on his body after the attack and returned to his father. It will in due course be passed to my son, who will treasure it and keep it safe for future generations.

Only a few years later the Second World War broke out. Since then we have had the Korean War, Aden, Cyprus, the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan. All of them resulted in the deaths of young, idealistic soldiers hoping their sacrifice would make for a better world and leaving more families weeping at their loss.

My last observation is this: did my uncles, and millions more, die in vain?

When will we realise that all wars are futile and achieve nothing but death and destruction?

Isobel Field (nee James), Langley Moor.