Letter: Remembering the war dead with pomp

Sir: Last week I was in Arras where I saw the memorial to the grandfather I never knew - one of about 40,000 who have no known grave. I am sure such a visit brings home the reality to children who visit memorials, more than the purchase of a poppy and the pomp of Whitehall in November. It was the first time my father (he was 18 months old when his father died, aged 32) had seen where his father lay in the fields around the town and, for my children, it brought home the futility of war.

I appreciate the need for the annual Cenotaph service but would recommend a visit to the war graves in France to understand fully the impact of war.

Yours,

J. R. HORSTEAD

Canterbury, Kent