Having left Germany after National Service in 1952, I recently made an emotional return to find comparisons then and now and with the UK.

In 1952, the country was in ruins, the cities were piles of rubble. The country was on its knees but everyone wanted to work and get their children educated. The priorities were building their theatres, opera houses and their production lines.

Today Germany is thriving, the priorities remain the same: family values, churches, theatres and production. Spending a day in Dusseldorf I did not find a matchstick or bus ticket on their pavements nor did I see any graffiti. In supermarkets, I did not see teenage girls pushing prams.

The children are so well behaved, never yelling their heads off in buses after school.

Everywhere the people were so friendly.

Cars come off the assembly lines every hour of every day.

We don't have a car industry.

We no longer have a steel industry but in Duisburg in the Ruhr, the workforce and output are increasing. I remember with pride the launch of the Queen Mary. Shipbuilding in Germany is flourishing today. What happened to our shipbuilding industry?

We often hear that the reason our soldiers are in Iraq and Afghanistan is terrorism. I am more concerned about terrorism and law and order on our own streets that the Government fails to do anything about People are frightened to enter city centres after dark.

Since my days of National Service Germany has progressed 50 years while we have been in reverse.

  • Thomas Wilson, Preston Park, Brighton