YOUR correspondents Mr McDowell and Mrs Lane (May 2) make a passionate appeal for the continued abuse of the Dartmoor National Park.
Mr McDowell quotes my admission in my last letter that I have no direct military experience, but neglects to mention the other bit where I make it perfectly clear that I am being briefed on this issue by past and present servicemen — some of whom consider the Dartmoor ranges to be an expensive joke and say that the money wasted would be better spent on equipping our troops for modern warfare.
The idea that the British Army will fall apart if it doesn't have 30,000 acres of Dartmoor is nonsense and a real insult to the quality of our armed forces. Was it not Major-General Pound, former officer commanding the Royal Marines, who told the Sharp Inquiry into the military misuse of Dartmoor that, and I quote, 'all in all a national park is not the best place for military training'?
Indeed, as far as I can discover, no other country in the world allows the abuse of national parks in this way. What a pity it is that Mr McDowell and Mrs Lane show such contempt for both Dartmoor and the national park ethos.
John Bainbridge
Chief executive
Dartmoor
Preservation Association