THE wartime efforts of Horsforth residents have been praised by the President of the United States of America, Bill Clinton, amid a row over a new film.

In a letter to Horsforth MP Paul Truswell, Mr Clinton said residents could 'take heart' from the vital role they played in the 1939-45 war when they raised £241,000 to fund the navy corvette HMS Aubretia.

Mr Truswell had originally written to the President when he learnt a soon-to-be-released Universal Studios film, called U571, substituted the heroic actions of the Aubretia during the battle for the Atlantic with a fictional American ship and crew.

The Aubretia was responsible for the depth charge attack on the U110 German submarine which led to the recovery of top secret German Navy Enigma code machine and book.

The cracking of the code resulted in a dramatic reduction in the sinking of Allied convoys and changed the whole course of the war.

In his letter, which is personally signed by Mr Clinton, the President wrote: "I understand your desire to see the role of the Royal Navy and the HMS Aubretia acknowledged. As you know, Universal Studios has stated that the film is not intended to be an accurate portrayal of historical events.

"The Royal Navy's capture of U110 and the recovery of its Enigma coding machine was of momentous importance to the course of the war and enabled Allied code breakers to decipher a vast number of coded messages.

"Many historians believe that they helped turn the tide against Nazi Germany and may have helped shorten the length of the war.

"The citizens of Horsforth can take heart in having raised the funds to purchase that Royal Navy Corvette.

"The Royal Navy action undoubtedly saved thousands of Allied lives and serves as an inspiration for future generations."

Horsforth Museum's manager/curator, Ron Hartley, said Mr Clinton's letter effectively brought an end to the Aubretia's most recent transatlantic conflict.

He said: "It goes a long way to addressing our concerns and it is really an official acknowledgement from one country to another.

"Universal have apparently said that they will put an acknowledgement in the end credits of the film, which is something. I have heard some people say it should be before the film starts, but at least we now have some acknowledgement about what really happened.

"When I saw the letter I looked down and saw this signature and I thought 'that is a coincidence, it's the same name as the US president', but when I looked at the heading and saw the words 'The White House, Washington' I was amazed."

Mr Truswell had written to Mr Clinton, Universal, and had tabled motions in Parliament to demonstrate British outrage. As a result David Balme, the officer who recovered the Enigma machine, has been invited to America by Universal to act as adviser on the film.

Mr Truswell was unavailable for comment this week.

The letter will form part of an exhibition at Horsforth Museum from September 11 (2pm) celebrating the crucial role the HMS Aubretia played.

Guests at the launch of the exhibition will include Sir Barry Sheen, who was a lieutenant on the Aubretia, and Mr Truswell.

It will feature a photograph taken by Sir Barry of the stricken submarine and documents collected and presented to the museum by Mr Truswell, including copies of the Aubretia log book, documentary videos and other contemporary items.

Mr Hartley added: "We have had a model of the Aubretia on display for many years and the plaque presented to the town for its fundraising efforts, but we did not know of its vital role until Mr Truswell spotted a reference to the Aubretia in a television documentary and remembered seeing the name in the museum."

Horsforth residents raised the £241,000 for the Aubretia in just one week back in 1941.

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