29 NOVEMBER 1969, Page 33

On growing a moustache

Sir: Referring to the four paragraphs concerned with myself in Mr Al!sop's Personal column' (15 November) I feel bound to cry: 'Come off it, Al!sop! Chuck it. Ken!' If you periodically compere one of the most-viewed of television program- mes (Twenty-Four Hours) and suddenly adopt a change in physical appearance you just cannot avoid its being a symbolic act land no mere 'whim and idle impulse') if the said change happens to be a generally recognised badge of certain contemporary sets, trends and tendenci-s.

I hold, therefore, that I was perfectly justified in deducing from Mr Allsop's capillary increase that, following a period of apparent indecision and wavering, he had finally crossed the Rubicon forsaking sanity and squaredom for the realms of swinging fantasy and phoney neo-archaistic bun- kum. However, in view of Mr Allsop's opening assurances I have no option but to swallow scepticism and to trust that for the future he will remain as completely sane as the alleged

Mad Axeman of Poole Co G. Reichardt, 12a Mount Pleasant Road, Poole