Letter: Barton soldier tribute – a wall is just a wall

SIR – May I refer to the comments by Cllr Valya Schooling (A&T, 10th February – War hero memorial on toilet wall ‘insult’)?

I appreciate that a former mayor of this town may well find a picture of a holder of the Victoria Cross on the wall of a public toilet block a bit odd. But the picture needs to be close to the Indian obelisk which, as far as I know, was there first.

In fact, the whole of the south side of the traffic island between two roads is virtually Indian territory which now has the blessing of the Indian High Commission in London.

So a wall is just a wall and it is fitting that to honour the holder of a VC should be part of the scene.

We really do need to acknowledge and honour those thousands of soldiers from the Indian subcontinent who fought for us in a war that was not really their own.

Barton and Brighton are the only places in the UK where this is being done, as far as I can see.

Let us honour this brave young man the best way we can. In the end, a wall is just a wall.

Edward Horne,
Barton