BEING a resident of Princetown I have become accustomed to road closures or limited access for various events such as the Tour of Britain. Such events attract people to the village, which in turn brings income. I often think of how lucky I am to live in a beautiful part of this country and that I have the freedom to enjoy the fantastic surroundings. In the past, members of our community have left our village to fight for their country only never to return. For such a small community, the names on the memorial show how many have laid down their lives for others' freedom. I served as a member of the Armed Forces for 24 years, during this period I have lost friends and colleagues to conflicts throughout the world. Once a year, I along with others like to pay my respects to those who have paid the ultimate price for their country on Remembrance Sunday, so surely having a Remembrance Parade treated with the respect it deserves cannot be too much to ask? Well I am afraid to say that for the last two years running it has been. Last year, two cyclists rode through the parade, this was with the road closed. This year there were no authorities to control the traffic which resulted in two cars driving through the parade and three cars who could not get through, leaving their engines running during the two minutes' silence. I along with others hope that we do not have a repeat performance for the next remembrance parade. Disrespect is disrespect. Driving through a remembrance service or running your engine during a two minutes' silence is tantamount to burning a poppy. I urge everyone who drives, cycles or walks up to Princetown to take a moment by the memorial, read the names and pay respect for those who have fallen, so we can enjoy our freedom of Princetown and the surrounding areas. Mr A Bailey Princetown