DURING the Second World War, as a child, I sat terrified as the bombs rained down on us in an air raid shelter in the middle of Birmingham.

Next morning, we came up out of the hole in the ground to see houses smashed down and people scrabbling among the debris for belongings and missing families.

I have many more horrible memories of my childhood, but prefer not to think about it, except when I think of what our country is proposing to do to the Iraqi women and children.

I thought we were a civilised nation. Do we have to follow the greedy Americans and take oil for blood?

I was shocked to see the Bishop of Hereford - a man of God - say war is our only option.

We shall only end up humiliated by Bush, broke in debt from the cost, and worse still the loss of many young men and women who should be at home building our future for the generations to come.

JOY TURNER,

Arboretum, Worcester.