All power to Dr Urbach in her efforts to open up the royal archives (Palace ignores calls to open royal archives after ‘Nazi’ leak, 20 July). But please let no one draw any adverse inference from the Queen’s actions in giving a Nazi salute as a seven-year-old. As young boys during the war my friends and I often made Nazi salutes simply as a sign of mockery and contempt for our hated enemies. I also had posted up pictures of the leading Nazis which I used for target practice with my air pistol. Both were childish contributions to what was called “the war effort”.
Graham Hewitt
London
• I, too, used to give the Nazi salute and cry “Heil Hitler”, along with all the other seven-year-old children I knew (Letters, 20 July). And this was after the war had started, so that we knew what a bad lot the blighters were. The full act required the placing of a stiff index finger on the upper lip, representing the Führer’s moustache. Treating the enemy as a figure of fun was pursued in more sophisticated ways by Ministry of Information posters and newspaper cartoonists. I do believe it all helped in “keeping the home fires burning”.
John Walsh
Swindon
