Churchill on gratitude

SIR – You report (October 9) that a former astronaut has apologised for quoting Winston Churchill.

Churchill, in the first volume of

The Second World War, quotes the Roman philosopher Tacitus, as saying: “Ingratitude towards their great men is the mark of a strong people.”

Of course, in some cases, it might just be the mark of an ungrateful, or ill-informed, people. Peter Davey

Bournemouth, Dorset