Sir, - I read with interest Denis Staunton's article "Cross-Border Agreement to Care for War Memorial" (June 20th). I visited the memorial at Messines in November 1999 and was struck, not so much by the poor landscaping, but by the almost total lack of any visitor information.
I well understand the political sensitivities, back in 1917 and today, around involvement in the first World War by men from Ireland. However, making factual information available on, for example, the numbers of men from Ireland serving, casualty levels, involvement in the Messines and Passchendaele campaigns, would be beneficial.
Factual information should offend no-one and would enhance the visitors' understanding of the horrific circumstances in which many men from Ireland lived and died. - Yours, etc.,
Aidan Fallon, Northamptonshire, England.