FOR 48 hours, thousands of people living in the Hendon area of Sunderland have lived in fear.

A generation, for whom the Second World War was something taught in history lessons at school or discussed by their parents or grandparents, has been given a taste of what it must of been like living with the threat from Hitler's bombers.

For them, evacuation and living in shelters has been temporary. But it was different six decades ago, when Sunderland - one of the busiest ports in Western Europe - took a constant pounding from the Luftwaffe, and when most nights were spent in shelters. Almost 300 civilians lost their lives in Sunderland during the war.

Thanks to the bravery of the bomb disposal officers, there has been no damage or injury from this wartime bomb. Life in Hendon will soon return to normal.

But this week's event offers a taste of what life must have been like during the war.

And with Armistice Day less than a month away, it perhaps offers a poignant reminder of why we must never forget the sacrifices made during the war and why we must continue to respect the past.

The real price of publicity

IT has been a week when celebrities have paid the price for placing their private thoughts and private lives into the public arena.

Roy Keane confessed to deliberately going out to injure a fellow professional footballer and was banned for five games and fined £150,000.

To a man sidelined by injury and earning £75,000 a week, the punishment is paltry. The damage to his reputation in the game, however, may be immense.

Ulrika Jonsson sought to cash in on her celebrated affair with the England football manager. And no doubt she will earn a small fortune from the serialisation and sale of her tawdry recollections.

In return, she has been jeered by her fellow professionals in television, which may reflect the long-term damage to her reputation and career.

It is difficult to sympathise with either Mr Keane or Ms Jonsson as they endure the repercussions of their actions.

They may know the earnings potential of autobiographies, but they do not appear to be aware of the value of dignity.