I am dismayed by the ­comments of Teddy Cranmer objecting to the wording on the American war effort memorial erected recently in Royal Avenue Gardens.

In claiming that the Americans did not contribute to the defence of our island nation, Teddy’s understanding of the progress of the war appears at fault. There is a thumbnail view of the war that the first half was defence of Britain and the second half was offence in Europe. This is a ­simplification too far.

In 1944 the second great defensive episode began against the V-1 flying bomb. The American contribution to this was to provide the P-15 Mustang fighter aircraft, which accounted for a third of the ­successful intercepts, and also with the US Army Air Forces’ bombing of V-1 launch sites. Later, when the V-2 was being developed, the bulk of the bombing raids on Peenemunde were carried out by the USAAF. All this was a valuable ­contribution to our defence – the wording on the monument is correct.

As to the reference to Hollywood, there is not the remotest resemblance to misrepresentation, such as Errol Flynn’s saving of Burma.

Mr Cranmer says the wording is contentious. No it is not, it is he who is contentious, displaying a not uncommon hypersensitivity about our relationship with the Americans.

For those not particularly schooled about the Second World War, which is pretty well everyone other than those of advanced years, the coming of the Americans to fight Hitler was arguably the greatest ­altruistic act in history. It was not their war – they had more than enough to occupy them in the Pacific. But they came and they died and it is proper to commemorate that with the monument as it is inscribed.

Dartmouth is uniquely ­honoured to be the resting place of this important monument. Ill-judged criticism of the ­wording arising from an ­imagined slight does our town no favours at all.

Brian Parker

Crossparks

Dartmouth