SIR – After David Cameron announced that £50 million was to be set aside for commemoration of the First World War, the government’s reasoning became all too clear. The catastrophic human disaster that was The Great War was to be reconfigured and projected for public consumption as a “just war”, worth fighting, where Britain and its allies saved democracy and won liberty through bravery and glory.

The main facts: A – that it was a conflict begun and managed by the rich and powerful to protect their empires; B – that ordinary people were first manipulated and then forced into taking part causing them to bear the greatest price in death and destruction; C – that the war was not won by conclusive victories on the battlefield but because governments were finally unable to get people to continue fighting. These will not see the light of day.

When Mr Cameron made his announcement, he was already contemplating taking this country into another war in Syria but that failed to get the support of the public and parliament.

This explains why our rulers wish to use 1914-18 for their own purposes. They want this country to continue to project and deploy military might in the interests of empire and profit.

David Hornsby, West View Avenue, Wrose