I HAVE long held the opinion that the denial of a campaign medal for the aircrew of Bomber Command who fought in World War Two has been an insult to their integrity and courage.

I was reminded of this injustice when listening to Squadron Leader Tony Iveson on Desert Island Discs recently.

Tony was a bomber pilot and he spoke poignantly of night missions over Germany lasting more than 12 hours, with the constant danger of never returning home.

A particular raid he remembered took place in March 1944 when 90 aircraft were lost and nearly 700 aircrew died.

Comparing this to the tragic losses in Afghanistan, Tony wondered what the public reaction would have been to the sight of 700 coffins being flown home in one day.

At the end of the war, despite the bravery and the loss of over 55,000 aircrew, any acknowledgement of their valour was muted.

Tony merely said that he and his colleagues were disappointed with this lack of acclaim.

The arguments concerning the strategic role of Bomber Command are well documented, what we cannot deny is the noble courage displayed by the bomber aircrews. It is high time this was rewarded.

Derek Parker, Bishop Auckland.