SIR, —There are, I think, two propositions which should command universal
agreement.
(i) That the victorious conclusion of the war with Japan is vitally important.
(ii) That, as far as possible, men who have been in the Far East or in India for four or five years should be relieved as soon as pos- . sible by those of us who have had the good luck to be based in Europe in Phase I.
Accordingly I cannot but be amazed at H. Shirley Fould's letter, which would appear to suggest that E.V.T. in the R.A.F. is a more important commitment than the vigorous prosecution of the Japanese war. Who is his friend to be so sure that " navvying in India," is beneath his dignity? We are already in grave danger of forgetting the close escape we have had. We have not had our wives and sons, our husbands and daughters stolen away in the night and tortured horribly before being executed. Our people are whole, they have no broken ribs, smashed ears or empty eye-sockets. In view of our good luck, and since we have fed half the peoples of Europe into the insatiable maw of our aggressive ally, the least we can do to salve our national conscience is to avenge the horrible deaths of thousands of Br:tish subjects at the hands of the Japanese.
Perhaps I may finish on a personal note. I was a pilot in Bomber Command's contribution to the European victory, and I shall very shortly be leaving for the Far East. As a result I am almost certain to have to abandon my proposed university course, and I have no doubt that when I leave the R.A.F. I shall get a very inferior job in view of my complete lack of experience in anything except the dropping of high explosive and incendiary bombs, on our enemies. But I count this a very small price to pay for the removal of barbarism and tyranny from the world, if only for a few years. May I counsel Mr. Fould's friend in India to cease thinking that he is the best judge of how his services should be used, and to remember the countless unsung heroes of Europe's underground who willingly gave their lives in any capacity, however minor, as long as it helped to defeat the enemy. I, for one, am thankful I never had to face the tests that confronted them, and I propose to see this war through without grumbling because of a lack of E.V.T. or comfortable office chairs (they are of equal importance).—AN R.A.F. FLIGHT- LiEurENANT.
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