D E MARGRETT and others lament their lack of a university education. I wonder why?

At the tender age of 14, I left my elementary school to work in a tailor's shop, where I learnt a lot about people.

A few years later, I joined the Royal Navy when I realised that Russell Randall and his staff at Stanley Road School, Worcester, had done a very good job because I hold my own with classmates from good grammar schools.

In the course of more than 30 years Naval service, I had plenty of opportunity to study and acquire professional qualifications, both naval and civilian.

I was accepted into two well-respected institutes and attained a fellowship in one of them.

All this academic training was extremely good but hardly matched my four years in a tailor's shop.

A Degree of Common Sense acquired in the University of Hardknocks is often preferable to pieces of paper presented to upper class twits at Oxbridge.

JOHN HINTON,

Worcester