17 AUGUST 1996, Page 21

Sir: Tunku Varadarajan is correct in what he writes about

NCOs in the British army. Our very hardness, loutishness and coarse- ness have stood us in good stead when the going got tough. Perhaps, though, it could be explained therefore why both the armies of Pakistan and India are so closely mod- elled on the British army system?

Sergeant M. Wingert

HQ 38 Group,

RAF High Wycombe, Bucks