Collar curveball

sir – Many years ago, when I was a senior non-commissioned officer in the Royal Navy, I wore collar-detached shirts and stiff paper collars. The Windsor knot (Letters, March 2) was essential, as it sat centrally on the protruding collar stud.

I did discover that these accessories had a significant drawback, however, when I was caught in a downpour on an airfield one day and my collar disintegrated.

Fergus Nicolson

Gowdall, East Yorkshire