LETTER:Invisible wives

From Mrs Victoria Booth

Sir: With reference to the labelling of families (letters, 11 August and 15 August), the ultimate is, of course, the armed forces. Years of being referred to as w/o (wife of) followed by your husband's current post, abbreviated to a series of initials and numbers, has caused untold numbers of previously sane women (and men) to become jibbering wrecks. When serving abroad, it is especially frustrating to be confronted with the ubiquitous "husband's rank, unit and number" when registering with the doctor, dentist and even the library, where it is still necessary for the husband to sign the registration card before the family can join, even if he never enters the library or reads a book again.

Yours faithfully,

Victoria Booth

Paderborn, Germany