HOPEFULLY all of us did, in some way, mark Monday, August 4 — not just as a beginning to the great losses of the First World War but also as a loss of innocence of how man can treat his fellow man. There was hardly a town or village that didn't suffer losses and many communities had the heart ripped from them. Even worse was the lack of the returning war dead to bury and give a focal point of remembrance and grieving. During the years following the 1914-1918 war monuments were put up with public funding or by private and public subscription; these war memorials were, and still are, a source of comfort for all those remembering the fallen. I urge you to go to your local war memorial, read the names of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, look at the condition of the monument. Is it clean, can you read the names, has the area around it been weeded, is it in the condition that something dedicated to the fallen should be in?  If not contact your local council, it's their responsibility to keep it in good order.  In this year when we should be remembering our fallen from all wars, it is shameful if monuments to honour the dead are not looked after and are in poor condition. Michael Cook Mary Tavy