TWO months ago my 83- year-old brother told me about his experiences in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, the first time he has discussed it with anyone, and only because I wanted the information for the family history.

We come from what was then a very small village on Salisbury Plain, so we were very unsophisticated and naive.

At 18 he served aboard Peter Carey, a fishing boat commandeered by the Navy and converted into a minesweeper, they did four days ashore, four days at sea in the English Channel.

They were relentlessly pursued and attacked by German E-boats. My brother, Vic, said he was really frightened but was always to ashamed to tell anyone.

In 1944 he was drafted to Australia where his ship was sunk off the coast of New Guinea, he was badly burnt but recovered. Once again he never told anyone about it.

I remember when the dreaded telegram arrived, we were all terrified, I ran away and hid, but we were brought up to always have the British stiff upper lip. No wailing and crying, no bunches of flowers laid, no yellow ribbons, you got on with life and behaved in a dignified manner.

My brother now lives in Australia, what must he have thought when he saw the Iran fiasco in the papers?

When will this government realise that we must go back to the old values of discipline, decent behaviour, patriotism and loyalty to our country and fellow men?

EVE MOTHERSHAW, Bassett, Southampton.