Touched by a tragic first world war tale | Brief letters

Shot at dawn | Emergency alerts at evensong | A message to Airstrip One | Ofsted’s ‘inadequate’ | Jack Nicholson in Reds

Alexandra Pearce-Broomhead’s piece (Country diary, 24 April) is probably the most emotionally charged article I’ve seen in over 40 years of reading the Guardian. I have sons the same age as these young men who were shot for supposed crimes such as “desertion” and “cowardice” in the first world war. May my children never have to go through what these young men did.
Rob Turnbull
Hexham, Northumberland

• The government’s emergency alert came for me as I was listening to choral evensong on BBC Radio 3 (UK emergency alert test: Three looking into why users failed to get text, 23 April). The appointed psalms for the day did not, sadly, include 19:4, “Their sound has gone out…” – but the choir did at least sing “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth” (Psalm 100:1).
Fr Alec Mitchell
Holyhead, Anglesey

• Why was the government’s public alert system broadcast with a North American accent? Has it been outsourced?
Chris Bowden
Davenham, Cheshire

• As the head of Ofsted believes that parents like the clarity and simplicity of single-word gradings for schools (Ofsted chief admits to ‘culture of fear’ around England’s school inspections, 23 April), would she accept school pupil reports quoting “inadequate” etc to their parents?
David Prothero
Harlington, Bedfordshire

• A list of Jack Nicholson’s best films (Jack Nicholson’s 20 best performances – ranked!, 20 April), and his portrayal of Eugene O’Neill in Reds doesn’t make the top 10? Unforgivable.
Christine Peacock
Manchester

• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.

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