As a former National Serviceman who was on active service for several months in the Suez Canal zone in 1954-55, I take umbrage at some of the things written by Joy Linford (Letters, October 26).

She wrote that her boyfriend, who was stationed at Tel-el-Kebir in 1952, was allowed to swim in Lake Timsah, take out a boat, play tennis and visit local bazaars. These things may, of course, be true but when she said "The Suez crisis put an end to an easy-going posting in Egypt", it made my blood boil.

She made the whole thing sound like a package holiday. However, what she does not realise is because all military personnel were forced to sign the Official Secrets Act, we who served in the Canal Zone were strictly forbidden to write home about the wounding, killing, terrorist organisations, political situation or even the disgusting and degrading living conditions. All our letters were censored.

My brother was involved in the Ismailia police station siege in 1952, when several of his friends were badly wounded, and while I was stationed in Geniefa village in 1954, two British lads lost their lives, one in Ismailia and the other in Fayid.

We had to guard our camp from terrorists day and night and did not step outside without a loaded weapon. Even though we wandered around the local shops and went swimming, we always went as a group, never less than three and one man always carried a loaded Sten gun or rifle.

Sorry to destroy the rosy picture but the Suez Canal Zone was no holiday camp.

-Bob Luckhurst, Boundstone Lane, Sompting