I was fortunate to be born just prior to the outbreak of World War Two and spent the next seven or eight years under strict forms of rationing particularly of food. An example was my award of 1/4lb of chocolate as first prize for a terms project (gold dust to me). They were desperate times. No, it was not all stick together and grin and bear it. People are people, good and bad in every age. Where the difference lies between 1945 onwards and 2020 are two words - HOPE and DESPAIR.

Although hundreds of bombs fell on London nightly and many other major cities killing hundreds of people to demoralise the populations, the radio gave regular accounts of victorious British and Allied wins. They were quite probably exaggerated but gave everyone a belief that things were on the up. The radio played uplifting songs that are still remembered and gave us HOPE.

Now we have numerous experts giving mixed messages and different views expressed by ministers and daily briefings on the coronavirus by a professor (next slide) with a mass of statistics and graphs along with the daily deaths but not any positive messages on the numbers of those who have recovered.

I am aware of the frightening situation and do not minimise the grief that has affected so many families. This is why the hope of a gone age has become the despair of the present.

What does it say when one old man and one young boy can inspire thousands of people and so many ordinary people can give their service and lives for others.

Derek Wakefield

By email