Yesterday was the 70th anniversary of the death of Adolf Hitler in his bunker amid the ruins of Berlin (and most of mainland Europe). The conflict claimed the lives of an estimated 80 million people.

Readers will know that PM David Cameron has refused to award a campaign medal to Bomber Command (BC) although on December 19, 2012, he did announce the award of a full Arctic Star medal to the convoy sailors, following the Russian offer of the Ushakov medal and a determined campaign by survivors, next-of-kin, newspapers and the public.

Moreover, they and Mr Cameron also know that whilst we BC veterans and our next of kin mostly reject his clasp award as being inappropriate, France has offered to present to survivors of D-Day in 1944, including eligible BC veterans, their prized Legion d’Honneur. Unfortunately, veterans are dying of old age before they can receive this generous award.

On May 5 there will be expressions of quiet thanks from the citizens of the Netherlands and Denmark, formerly occupied by Nazi German troops until liberated in 1945. Bomber Command operated at enormous cost in aircrew lives lost (56,805 latest official number) and we believe it fully deserves the BC campaign medal we still seek.

Can we ask that, regardless of their political persuasion, readers and voters who are eligible should seek from candidates, and eventually successful MPs, a review of the existing legislation (which stipulates a BC clasp for aircrew only) and that they should take note of the efforts and sacrifice of Bomber Command from whichever PM and government finally wins?

JIM WRIGHT
Gibson Close
Abingdon