SOME 150,000 service personnel endeavoured to maintain Palestine under League of Nations Mandate, during 1945 to 1948.

This strength allowed an NCO and three sappers, on a rota system, to be responsible for the disposal of suspicious objects throughout the Jerusalem area.

They were protected by a Lightning Platoon, an equally disciplined, well-trained body of infantry.

This system was utilised throughout Palestine, a country the size of Wales.

Iraq's a vast country. The recent atrocities against service personnel in Iraq demands a complete reappraisal of the deployment of the army of occupation before, hopefully, the United Nations can be persuaded to assume responsibility for this hapless nation.

TOM WAREING,

Winyates Green,

Redditch.