Dad and the Dambusters

Lincolnshire’s RAF heritage, slow train to Lusaka, travel agents to the rescue; and Regensburg’s savoury delicacies

hope that they could save our country. JUDITH SMITH

Tearful arrival

Olivia Greenway’s article about travelling on the Shongololo Express to the Victoria Falls (“Red carpets and rhinos”, March 18) reminded me of a journey I made in 1964.

I left the ship in Cape Town and boarded a train for Lusaka, Zambia, only to discover that this would be a six-day journey. My sleeping compartment was comfortable, the food was good, and the passing scenery was new and exciting. Average speed was 25-30mph, so there was ample time to stare; little wildlife but big skies.

At Mafikeng the South African dining car was uncoupled before we trundled through the night towards Bulawayo and breakfast inside the Rhodesian dining car. A derailment in the middle of the Kalahari Desert left us stranded and even the drinking water ran out. But eventually we got under way after 12 hours without food and continued our journey across the bridge at Victoria Falls, arriving in Lusaka a day late and with nobody to meet me at 1am. This was an adventure too far ending in tears, a kindly station master and a makeshift bed on the sofa in his office, but that’s a story for another day. NOREENA ELWELL

Flight from Belgrade

There is something unnerving about being stranded at an airport. What can one do when airline personnel go on strike? The answer is one has to queue at the appropriate desk, with hundreds of others, and wait to be given a voucher for food and hotel. “Come back in the morning and we’ll try to get you a seat” is the only hope you have – that is unless you have booked your ticket through a travel agent (Expert view, February 25).

On a visit to Serbia, I awoke in my Belgrade hotel and could not understand why it was not possible to check in for my flight. A telephone call to my travel agent in Church Stretton resulted in an immediate search for the best way to get me back to Manchester airport. A short while later they had booked me the last seat on a flight home the next day and I could relax in my hotel. On my return the agent immediately set about gaining a refund from the airline for my extra costs incurred. Problem solved. FANE CONANT