SIR - I agree with the family of Flight Lieutenant Stead that all should be done to make the old Hercules aircraft safer, but I would make two points.

First, you can never make war safe.

Second, if you have to operate large four-engined aircraft at low level by day over enemy-held land they will get shot down in spite of any protection. In the last war 38 Group flew hundreds of low-level sorties all over Europe to drop agents and supplies to the Resistance. But nearly all of them were done by moonlight and our losses were small.

But come Arnhem we had to go in low by day to drop our lads on the ground and we took heavy losses that week.

Jack Jones (ex-F/Lt), Premier Park, Ilkley