Letter: War metals left on the scrapheap

Sir: Your correspondent Betty Smith states that wrought-iron railings were sacrificed for the war effort. The railings that were removed in Reading about 1942 were piled in the then Southern Railway goods yard. There they remained throughout the war and well into the Fifties. The reason being, I was told, that wrought iron was unsuitable for processing into armour plate. The same applied to aluminium saucepans, which people were asked to contribute to build Spitfires, etc. They, too, were unsuitable.

One can only suppose that the salvage drive seemed a good idea at the time, but no one thought to consult the munitions industry. The only beneficiaries were the scrap metal merchants.

Yours faithfully,

JOHN TAYLOR

Leigh-on-Sea, Essex

11 March