Justice denied to soldiers killed in the Troubles

sir – In your article (March 2) stating that former British paratroopers face charges of murder for their actions on Bloody Sunday, Leo Young – who was on the protest march that day – states: “I don’t care if the soldiers go to jail. But if these soldiers aren’t prosecuted then the families will be angry, and for good reason.”

As someone who served in Northern Ireland in the Seventies, I would like to see the IRA members who murdered 18 British soldiers at Warrenpoint also face justice. Unfortunately due to a lack of willingness by the British Government to pursue these people, it seems more likely that Mr Young’s wishes will be granted than mine. Richard Acland

Chepstow, Monmouthshire

sir – Sending combat-trained troops into battle with unruly crowds, among whom there were known to be armed and ruthless terrorists, inevitably led to bloodshed and the deaths of some participants, whose only crime was being there. The terrorist tactic of sheltering behind innocent civilians or hostages is, and was, well known.

The Good Friday Agreement has largely succeeded in keeping the peace since the Troubles. When it was drafted, the sins of many nasty people were written off. It is surely not too late, even now, to grant the same relief to those soldiers who were ordered to the frontline and attacked by an enemy wearing no uniforms. John Pritchard

Ingatestone, Essex