It was a great honour to be invited to attend, as the only available representative this year from a Bomber Command 630 squadron association veteran, on two important anniversary days in the life of Denmark on May 4-5. My son acted throughout as my carer. Until my late wife died on December 11 last year I had not been able to do this since 2008.

We first heard in 2002 from a Dane called Verner Andersen, now deceased, about the presence in Skarrild churchyard of the remnants of a squadron crew buried there since being shot down by a German night fighter. The Lancaster had crashed into a nearby farmer’s field. It had four British, one Aussie and two Canadians aboard.

With or without supporting colleagues I had made this trip from 2002 regularly until 2008 and then again this year. There were many such crashes from many BC squadrons in Denmark and throughout the other occupied countries in Europe and surviving old veterans like me, or the next of kin of those buried in similar villages or war cemeteries visiting at this time of year, are wondering whether they will live long enough to accept yet another invitation next year in memory of lost colleagues.

If only the British Government and our present Prime Minister could share the respect and honour in which these young but dead aircrew members and the surviving BC survivors are held by the citizens in Denmark, Holland, Norway, Poland, Czechoslovakia, France and Belgium, among others, perhaps we would have the desired campaign medal award we deserve, instead of the mean and insignificant clasp we do not want.

Jim Wright, Wg Cdr A J Wright DFC RAF (Ret), Gibson Close, Abingdon