Dear Editor,

These are difficult times for businesses large and small, empty plots in the high street.

Sadly, Minehead’s Co-op store has become another victim and staff will be unemployed.

I have shopped at the Co-op for many years and will miss people I have come to know, especially the caring, friendly staff, past and present.

They care about each other as well as the customers.

Thank you all, you will be missed.

Jane Field

Minehead

Dear Editor,

St Michael’s Pool, Minehead, has sadly suffered childish break-ins and vandalism in the early part of this week. We have good evidence of the perpetrators and police have naturally been informed.

However, we have been cheered up by the care and dedication of local people in helping to repair the damage. We have even had donations to make up for the loss of business after we had to cancel a day’s bookings.

Particular thanks must also go to AM PAT testing and ‘Window Woman’ Raji, both of whom have given their services for free.

When some members of the community are only interested in impressing their friends - and bragging about their exploits on social media - many others are rallying round to help our marvellous swimming pool. These are the ones we wish to thank.

Benet Allen, chair of trustees

St Michael’s Pool Minehead

Dear Editor,

We appreciate your reporting plans to erect a new headstone in Hawkcombe cemetery in Porlock, marking the grave of the young German airman killed when his plane was shot down over the village in September 1940.

However, your report fails to recognise that, over the past decades, many in the village have carefully tended Wilhelm Reuhl's grave; flowers have always been placed on his grave in his memory, continuing the respect he was shown in 1940 when he was buried with full military honours.

The simple wooden headstone has also been renewed on more than one occasion and villagers in Porlock, who have kept contact with members of Reuhl's family, are involved in the plans for this to be replaced with a more permanent memorial.

Evidence of the village's respect for this young German airman, killed when British cities were being bombed during the Blitz, can been seen by the location of Reuhl's grave in the cemetery.

It is not tucked away in some neglected corner; Reuhl was buried in the prime position, immediately inside the lych-gate.

Yours sincerely,

Jeff Cox

Dovery Manor Museum, Porlock

Dear Editor,

THE Second World War was a most tragic event across Europe, many people lost their lives from all sides and you reported last week about a young man in the Luftwaffe being shot down over the Bristol Channel his body retrieved and buried in Porlock.

The Volksbund, the German war graves commission have gone through the correct process of having a memorial gravestone made to be erected in Hawkcombe cemetery in his memory.

Something I do find very odd is considering that Great Britain was at war with Germany that this young man was given full military honours at his funeral, even more bizarre is who decided to drape the coffin in the Nazi flag? A symbol of one of the most evil regimes that the world has ever witnessed, something that Great Britain was fighting against.

There are also four war graves at Hawkombe cemetery of local men William McGowen, James Williams, Owen Passmore and Lionel Priscott who lost their lives fighting for the right side, let's not forget them.

Andrew Brown

Minehead

Dear Editor,

MANY of us in the Exmoor community were somewhat horrified to read the highly misleading and totally unverified article and photograph on LACS published by your newspaper last week. It bore a sinister resemblance to typical claims made by deeply flawed politicians like Donald Trump or Zack Polanski. Essentially, if you do not like the truth, well just make it up!

LACS have a long history of false stories and doctored film clips and photographs, all in the cause of falsifying evidence, all of which have been recognised in case after case in the law courts of the United Kingdom.

Their black uniforms and black balaclavas have little to do with openness and democracy and rather more to do with the threatening appearance of those champions of an alternative take on democracy, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (an organisation proscribed in the UK).

We believe that the article reflects totally irresponsible standards of journalism at a highly sensitive time in UK politics, being a week before council elections across the UK.

Trail hunting is a legal sport, operated under strict rules, which is enjoyed by a large section of the rural population of Somerset. The number of active participants outweigh the active opponents by a huge majority, but both are minorities of the total UK population. Under a liberal democracy the rights of minorities should be respected, as should all those in Somerset, whose livelihoods are affected by or depend upon legal trail hunting ie farmers, vets, livery yards, horse dealers, hay and corn merchants, publicans and hoteliers, point to points etc.

We would ask that this letter be published to demonstrate that the newspaper has some sort of editorial balance, otherwise many of us will continue to question its values in relation to the local community.

Yours sincerely,

James Sparrow

Exford

Editor’s note: The information in our article was supplied in good faith by the League Against Cruel Sports. We encourage all readers to have their say on topics covered in this paper and are alway happy to publish opposing views.