13 NOVEMBER 1993, Page 29

Braine trains

Sir: May I enlighten Vicki Woods about Braine l'Alleud, to whose twinning with Basingstoke she objects (Diary, 21 August). Far from being obscure, Braine l'Alleud is in fact the site of Napoleon's defeat in 1815. Had the Duke of Wellington not found it easier to pronounce the name of the neighbouring town Waterloo, there would be many other Braine l'Alleuds throughout the English-speaking world, and Braine l'Alleud railway station would be as familiar to English as it is to Belgian commuters. Call me a continental anglophobe, but I wonder how many of my fellow-brainois have heard of Bas- ingstoke.

William Hanna

92 rue de la Legere Eau, 1420 Braine l'Alleud, Belgium