THE release of the film Dunkirk sent me back some 60 years to when I went on beaches and battlefield holidays to Belgium with my grandparents, Charles and Lily Simpson, and my cousin June.
We drove to Dover and took the ferry to Ostende where we stayed in a swanky hotel. As we arrived in Ostende harbour we passed the conning towers of a sunken British destroyer. This would be about 1953.
I went three times between the ages of ten and 15. We went on bus trips to First World War battlefields as my grandfather fought in that war. He was shot through his thigh by a machine gun bullet.
One trip was to Dunkirk where the scars of the Second World War were still very obvious, with roofs missing and shell holes in buildings. It affected me greatly.
I am looking forward to watching Dunkirk but it will have to be pretty special to beat American war film Saving Private Ryan which took movie-making and war films to a new level of reality. Their emphasis, though, was on the events involving Americans whereas I am sure Dunkirk will be from a British perspective.
Malcolm Rolling, Durham
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here