Published letter comes up trumps (From Salisbury Journal)

Published letter comes up trumps

4:45pm Wednesday 29th August 2012 in Salisbury Letters

I WONDER if your readers realise just what power a letter to the editor has.

Local newspapers across the country recently printed a letter from me seeking those who had served in the Royal Navy at the massive 197 acre Shore Establishment HMS Collingwood at Fareham in Hampshire, and who would like to be reunited with their old shipmates through the HMS Collingwood Association, possibly meeting up again at one of the reunions we hold every year or even joining one of the visits to HMS Collingwood to see the changes.

Well they came out of the woodwork, which was what was hoped for, because I doubt if there is a single hamlet or village in the UK which has not had someone serve there since it was commissioned in January 1940 and up to the present day.

The power of the letter to the editor has even brought responses from those who volunteered their services back in World War Two, to ‘Serve for the duration of the present conflict’ as it was expressed on their Service Documents.

Any reader who didn’t see my first letter, or put it to one side to be dealt with later and would love to ‘swing the lamp’ again can contact me at the address below or at mike.crowe1@btinternet.com.

Knowing the power of the press and the response from letters to the editor, I look forward to receiving many interesting topics and the prospect of reuniting many shipmates.

MIKE CROWE, 7 Heath Road, Lake Sandown, Isle of Wight, PO36 8PG