Sir – You reported on the suggestions for a permanent memorial at the roundabout leading to the John Radcliffe Hospital and the suggestion to rename the slip road “Heroes Way”.

Those of us who’ve had reservations over the legitimacy of the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan recognise the tragedy of lost lives and the heartache this brings to families.

We also recognise that the sacrifice of these young people holds a mirror to the politicians who made choices on their behalf.

The last of our serving soldiers from the First World War, Harry Patch, reminded us that though there may be individual acts of heroism during wars, attendance on the battlefield does not by definition make one a “hero”. Our armchair generation is subjected to too many drip-fed off-the-shelf emotions; these obscure the messy ambivalence and underlying doubts over the the horror and futility of war.

Let the roundabout stay as it is, and the road simply lead to a place of healing.

Jon Bennett, Headington