LETTERS: Express readers on race hate crime, tracing relatives and swifts

Should those of us who exercised our democratic rights to vote for freedom and justice now expect to be smeared every time there’s a race-hate crime?

I joined the Anti-Nazi league as a founder member aged 13 at a meeting at Pontefract Town Hall in 1976. On two occasions as an anti-racist activist, in 1979 and 1983, I was violently assaulted by white racists. About ten years ago I assisted West Yorkshire Police in apprehending and successfully prosecuting the perpetrator of a race hate crime in Castleford.

On June 23, 2016 I voted to leave the EU, not because I am a racist, but because like the majority I want my country to be governed by elected representatives in Westminster not unelected bureaucrats in Brussels. I voted leave because I want the UK off the job-destroying Ponzi scheme that is the EU Titanic before it hits the political and economic iceberg toward which it is headed with its doomed currency, tanking GDP and stratospheric unemployment.

I also voted leave because I oppose EU trade barriers that help to keep the third world in poverty; a fact conveniently overlooked by the smug and elitist remainers. Or perhaps it’s not overlooked at all? Perhaps they are completely ignorant of that fact as so many are obviously ignorant of relevant history.

The British people have plenty in common with the ordinary people of the EU, more than any of us have in common with our pro-EU politicians. Paradoxically the people of Europe have little whatsoever in common with the likes of the delusional Jean-Claude Juncker and his gang.

The skids are under them already and they’re sweating. The UK has been the first to declare that the Emperor has no clothes and to decline to pay the tailor’s bill.

Neil Liversidge

Managing director of West

Riding Personal Financial

Solutions

Appeal

Somme 100 Poppy appeal

I have in my possession a limited edition Somme 100 poppy, which commemorates the men killed on the first day of the battle of the Somme on July 1 2016.

There were 19,240 men from the UK killed that day. There were 19,240 poppies made to commemorate this occasion.

They are made using donor metal from 1916 shell fuses recovered from the Somme battlefields of France.

The central red enamel is made from finely ground earth recovered from the Somme. Each poppy comes with a printed dedication to an individual who died that day.

My Poppy is dedicated to Private E Noble of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.

I have looked and researched on the internet and I managed to find out that he was called Elmsall and he was the son of John George and Rose Emma, who lived on Haigh More Road, West Ardsley.

In 1901, aged 13, he was employed as a coal hewer. Elmsall enlisted in Wakefield where he joined the KOYLI as private 21577.

I would greatly appreciate any help in trying to track down any relatives of this soldier so I may donate the poppy for them to keep as a special piece of history.

Mark Pearson

Cottenham,

Cambridge.

chilcot report

We were right on war

In 2003, the Liberal Democrats, led by Charles Kennedy, joined thousands of others in opposing the war in Iraq.

Tony Blair and the Labour government ignored the concerns raised at the time. Now 13 years later,

The Chilcot Report shows that Tony Blair was fixated in joining George Bush in going to war in Iraq, regardless of the evidence, the legality or the serious potential consequences. That fateful decision cost hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, as well as the lives of 179 members of the British Armed Forces.

The Chilcot Report lays bare the complete lack of planning for the aftermath of the invasion. That failure caused many more years of bloodshed and instability in the Middle East and led to the rise of Daesh.

In 2003, quite a number criticised Charles Kennedy’s judgement and leadership on the Iraq War and our party’s position.

I hope those in the Labour and Conservative parties who were so forceful in their criticism at the time are equally forceful in their acknowledgements today that he was right.

I sincerely hope that lessons are learnt from the Iraq War and such a dreadful decision is never repeated.

Kamran Hussain

Chair of Yorkshire and

Humber Liberal Democrats Policy Group

Family tree

Help me find descendants

I am trying to locate the descendants of a Mr James Lyons who purchased a grave in Moorthorpe Cemetery that was used to intern the remains of my great-uncle Mr Edward (Ned) Gallagher.

I’m looking to locate his descendants as I wish to obtain their permission to erect a headstone in memory of my great-uncle.

I know a little bit about my great-uncle that might help. He died on August 18, 1932 at Pontefract General Infirmary aged 29 years old following an accident at the Upton Colliery and he was interred on August 20, 1932 in section I 42, the Catholic Section of Moorthorpe Cemetery on Barnsley Road, South Elmsall.

I also have information on James Lyons - as I stated earlier this gentleman bought the grave in 1930, it was for a gentleman called Patrick Maguire whom I believe was also a miner.

There are two James Lyons - the first was aged 29 years old from Co. Roscommon, Ireland, and was registered at the Sloop Lodging House, Marsh Gate, Doncaster and he was described as a general labourer on the census.

The second which I believe to be the better fit was for a James Lyons, aged 32, also from Ireland and he was registered at King Street, Pontefract, and he was described as a miner on the census. As well as that, my great-uncle Edward Gallagher was a miner too.

Also, I was told that to have purchased a grave there he would have to have resided in either the parishes of South Kirkby, South Elmsall, Hemsworth or Upton, or else they would have to pay double, which the caretaker there at Moorthorpe said would be highly unlikely.

I did have contact with the Pontefract registry office and they found the death certificate of a Mr James Lyons, who died in December 1959, aged 77, but he lived in Rotherham I believe.

Sadly, I know it is difficult to narrow down a search for an individual when so little information is known but I would greatly appreciate any assistance in this matter.

Edward (Eamonn)

Gallagher

London

Reply

Swifts are forgotten

I write in reply to the letter by Lester Young (Express, June 23) regarding the winged wonder, namely the swift.

The species always appears to be the forgotten member of our wildlife. Very little information has been gathered about the bird due to the fact that it is one of the most difficult members to track and to obtain relevant information.

The youngsters, which have been raised over here, always return to their nesting sites usually around the eighth of May, having made a journey of several thousand miles from the African Continent.

They remain on the wing throughout this period, eating, sleeping and breeding during the journey. They love to nest underneath the eaves and spouts of your home which allows them to drop directly from the nest and take up flight.

They cannot come into contact with the ground due to the fact that they cannot take flight from this position.

They will spend up to twelve hours a day hunting their diet of midges and flies, travelling many miles in the process.

As stated by Lester Young, they are fast becoming a dying breed due to the construction of new housing which denies the species the conditions to nest and rear chicks and we are in danger of losing these scimitar winged birds for ever.

Bob Crowther

High Street, Crigglestone

complaint

Blocked path

I have just witnessed a cleansing executive empty my garden waste.

This was done with him first using two hands to move the bin to the back of the vehicle, then during the emptying process out came his mobile phone and he proceeded to text. The rest of the emptying process was carried out one handed with his eyes looking at the mobile screen.

The bin was then literally thrown onto the pavement all the while with his eyes on the phone. The bin was in the middle of the pavement so anyone in a wheelchair or with a chid in a pushchair would have had to go into the road.

Over the road was just as bad, in fact, the path was completely blocked in one area.

So Wakefield Council - is this what our council tax is for? Incase anyone is wondering all the residents around the area of my house always leave their bins flush to the wall, handles facing the road, to make it easy for the cleansing executives.

So besides the trundle of a few feet, there is not a lot for them to do. I look forward to the council resonate but once again won’t hold my breath.

S Pearson

Ashbourne Drive,

Pontefract