Letter: Lessons of war

Sir: Poetry in general, and Wilfred Owen in particular, does not seek to ennoble or give grace to war, as Roy Hattersley says. One need only turn to "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Owen. It is about a gas attack casualty: "If ... you too could ... watch the white eyes writhing in his face.... If you could hear ... the blood come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs..."

Forget the poetry? No, Mr Hattersley. Read the poetry. It is one of the few ways left for our generation to understand the suffering of Uncle Herbert.

STEPHEN TILL

Alton, Hampshire